Before The Reign
by TheBaeTide
Summary: Set Before 'Sympathy for the Devil' and long before 'Just Call me Lucifer', this is the story of how Rick obsessed Rick and flawless Michonne came to be, starting from their first encounter. AU. No Walkers.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

"Thanks for this mom, I really appreciate it"

"Don't you worry about it! I love watching my little grandbaby"

Rick waved to his son as walked down his parent's driveway, "Bye Carl!"

"Bye daddy!", Carl waved back, already eating one of the cookies Rick's mother had made especially for him.

He rarely ever left his son unless he was going to work, so he was grateful that his parents were taking him for the night so he could get some much needed adult time. He climbed into his truck and pulled out, heading back into town.

He realised one of the downfalls of rarely leaving his son was the fact that he would worry when they were apart. He knew Carl was fine and in good hands, but he couldn't help but fret. It was often just the two of them, and he had become accustomed to that, seeing his son as an extension of himself. Being a single parent was turning out to have its own unique pitfalls.

He arrived at the diner and checked his watch as soon as he stepped out his car, surprised to learn that he was early, as he usually found himself running a little late due to unforeseen circumstances centred around Carl.

"You're early", He smirked as he took a seat in the booth opposite his good friend.

"No, I'm on time. You're just always late", Maggie shook her head at him, "I already ordered for us. Got you a burger and cheese fries with a lemonade"

"Ugh, thanks. I'm starving", Rick yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Carl had you up past your bedtime?"

"He took a four hour nap in the day so…", Rick shook his head, "He was on night watch"

"You gotta' let me take him one of these days. You know I love little boys", Maggie beamed at him.

"Don't worry, you'll probably have a few of your own one day"

"I can definitely see that happening", She chuckled as the waitress slid their drinks on to the table, "Thank you"

"Thanks", Rick gave the woman at single nod as he took his lemonade, "How was your date with what's his name?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Glenn, and it was horrible. He barely spoke, just sat there staring at me the whole time"

Rick snickered, "He's probably nervous"

"Yeah well, I'm not seeing him again anytime soon… what about you?"

Rick nearly choked on his tongue, "What about me?"

"Lori's been gone for a while now, you can date you know-"

"I don't need to", Rick shook his head at the idea.

"It's not about whether you need to or not, it's just a bit if fun", Maggie shrugged, "You know I'll take that little boy of yours and you can go… have some adult time"

Rick's raised his eyebrows at her.

"Take your mind out the gutter", She frowned, but began to smile, "I mean, if _that's_ what you want…"

"Stop it."

Maggie giggled as she threw her scrunched up napkin at him, "I mean it though. Don't let her taint it for the rest of the women out there"

"I'm not. I know they're not all like her…", Rick scratched his brow with his thumb, "It's just… having to get to know someone again seems like a chore"

"Well you and Lori were high school sweethearts, you grew up together. You can have that again. It's not impossible"

"It's not… I know, it's not", He sighed, looking out the window, "Wait, where's your truck?"

"Oh, Patricia let me use her car. My beat up old truck is dying a slow and painful death", Maggie shook her head sadly, "Gonna have to put her down soon"

Rick stared at her.

"Oh stop it"

He began to chuckle, "It's a truck"

"I know but I have emotional ties to it", She frowned, "It's like you and your trusty boots"

His smile fell, "What's wrong with my boots?"

"Nothing..", She shrugged, "It's just you seem to struggle to part with them too"

He rolled his eyes, "You know I'm not into dressing up-"

"Wearing a different pair of shoes isn't dressing up", She responded flatly.

"Well it is to me", He smirked.

"And here you go!", The waitress appeared again, "One cheeseburger with fries and one grilled cheese sandwich with a side salad"

Rick frowned as he shook his head, "Think there's a mistake"

The waitress's eyes darted from the plate to Rick's face, "Not what you ordered?"

"We ordered a regular burger with cheese fries", Maggie informed as she moved her own plate closer to herself.

"I think that's mine"

Rick looked past the waitress to the young women who stood by the next booth, and his throat immediately tightened.

"Oh! That's right! Oh I'm so sorry about that", The waitress shook her head in exasperation.

"Don't worry about it, we'll just switch them over", The woman smiled, picking up Rick's order from her table, "Go on we've got it"

"Thank you dear", The waitress patted her on the back as she stepped past her.

Rick considered himself to be a fairly confident man, and while he wasn't actively dating, he was still able to conduct himself around women, but this woman left him speechless. Her hair was in locks, and tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a tight black top that exposed her lean shoulders and her navel, and light blue jeans that clung to her. She stepped back over to the table with a smile that made Rick want to give her anything she asked for.

"So that's mine…", She took the plate from his hand and he didn't look anywhere else but her face, "And this is yours-"

The woman jolted forward as someone bumped into her, causing his order that she held to slip into his lap. The other person apologised profusely, while Rick didn't even care.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!", She apologised, putting her plate down and soon taking the food off his lap.

Rick snapped out of his daze when he realised a majority of the food was on his groin, "Oh don't worry about it-"

"Can he have the same thing again please? Put them both on our bill", The woman insisted as the waitress looked over at them from another table.

"What?!", A blonde woman with incredibly large, curly hair stuck her head up from behind Maggie, "No way! I'm not paying for that!"

"Stop it, Andrea, I spilt it on him", The woman hissed.

Andrea snorted, her bright pink top lip curling, "Fine, but you can pay then"

She tutted at her friend before turning back to Rick, "Once again, I'm so sorry-"

"What's your name?", Rick had finally caught up with himself.

She looked a little thrown off, but still answered, "Michonne".

" _Michonne_?", He repeated easily.

She nodded, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Can I take you out sometime, Michonne?"

Maggie's eyes bulged, a fry hovering by her mouth as she looked at him with nothing but shock.

Michonne began to smile, and Rick's heart fluttered, "Um…Sure, okay…"

"I can take your number?"

"Yeah. Okay"

He took out his phone from his back pocket and handed it to her, and she quickly hit the buttons as she added herself to his contacts. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"His name's Rick by the way", Maggie hissed to Michonne, "He hasn't done this in a while so go easy on him"

Rick's eyes slid over to Maggie's as Michonne giggled, handing him back his phone, "Well there you go… Rick"

"I'll give you a call?", The smile was plastered on his face.

"Alright then, bye", She gave a little flutter of her fingers as she walked back to her booth.

Rick sighed as he watched her.

"Well. Your attitude changed almost instantly didn't it?", Maggie teased as she threw a fry at him.

"I… was not gonna' let her go", He wished her friends hair wasn't so big, so he could watch her for a little longer.

He truly didn't have any intentions of dating anytime soon as he felt as if he had only just got adjusted to raising Carl on his own, but he was overcome with great interest when he saw Michonne. She and her friend finished their meals sooner than he and Maggie, and he was nearly giddy when she looked back at him before she left.

"You're gonna call her tonight aren't you", Maggie joked as she searched in her purse.

He chuckled at his friend, though he knew she was right. He did plan to call her as soon as he got the chance.

They paid for their meals and soon left too, walking out the eatery together. Rick made his way over to his truck, which was coincidently parked next to Patricia's car.

"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

Rick gave a little shrug, "I'll probably just head over to Daryl's if he's available. Hang out there for a while"

"Sounds fun. Well it looks like you're gonna need a babysitter after all aren't you? Just give me a call. I know Beth would love to help me with Carl too", Maggie insisted, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Rick slowly nodded, "That'll be great. I appreciate it"

"No problem. Oh and don't forget, my birthday dinner-"

"I wouldn't miss it"

"Don't be late either!"

He climbed into truck, and waited for his friend to pull out of her parking space first before following her lead.

Having so much free time always left Rick feeling as if he should fill his day with activities that he didn't usually get to do if he had his son, and so he did just that.

He first stopped at the grocery store, then the hardware store to do some leisurely shopping, before heading home. He cleaned the house from top to bottom, even taking the opportunity to throw out a number of old items that he hadn't had the chance to. He made his afternoon a productive one, and by the time evening rolled around, he was back out of his home and ready to relax for the remainder of his day.

The apartments that his friend Daryl lived in where compact, but incredibly modern, especially for a small town that liked to hold on to historic buildings.

"What's going on?", Daryl greeted, stepping aside to let Rick in his home.

"Nothing. Just had lunch with Maggie", Rick strolled in, and immediately frowned, "What's that smell?"

"Sasha", Daryl rasped, "She bought about fifty of those smelly candles 'cause they were on sale"

"...So she's burning them _all_ at once?"

"One in every room"

Rick shook his head in disbelief as he took a seat on the couch in the open plan room, "Well, I should smell great when I leave"

"Where's Lil' ass kicker?"

"With my mom for the night"

"Yeah? So what are you doing?", Daryl appeared beside him, holding out a cold bottle of beer.

"Sleeping", Rick scoffed, "Thanks"

"Nah man, you can do that anytime. Go out. Go to a bar or somethan'-"

"Did you just say I can sleep anytime? When? When can I sleep anytime?"

Daryl rolled his eyes are him as he took a seat in the arm chair, "You know what I mean"

The front door clicked open, and Sasha panted as she burst into view, "Forgot my damn water"

"Hey Sasha", Rick called.

"Oh hey Rick!", She smiled, shutting the door with her foot, "Where's lil' ass kicker?"

"I wish you would both use my son's name", Rick responded dryly.

"Sorry! Blame this one", She shrugged, pointing at Daryl as she walked over to the kitchen.

"Yeah yeah", Daryl responded in a mutter, too busy biting his thumb nail, "He's got the night off and he wants to sleep"

"He's probably tired. Kids are tiring you know?"

"He needs to go out, relax. Head to a bar or somethan'.."

"Not everyone wants to party on the weekend. Unlike some people…", Sasha tilted her head towards the wall, signalling that she mean the neighbouring home, "Every weekend like clockwork"

"The new neighbours I told you about", Daryl explained to Rick, finally allowing him back in the conversation.

"Oh. Yeah", He huffed, taking out his phone, "The party girls-"

"That girl, the blonde one, what's her name?", Sasha quizzed, heading to the front door again.

"Andrea", Daryl answered, reaching for the remote on the coffee table.

"That's the one, she's nuts, so keep away from her", Sasha warned, giving her boyfriend a no nonsense look.

"What are you talking about?', Daryl scowled, "We ain't friends"

"Good, _keep_ it that way", Sasha yanked open the door, "See ya' Rick"

"Oh, bye", Rick tore his eyes from his screen when he heard his name, "Have… fun?"

The door slammed shut, and Daryl snorted in annoyance, "I can't even stand that girl"

"Who?"

"The neighbour"

"Oh", Rick looked towards the TV screen as his friend began to flick through the channels, "Maggie's birthday dinner by the way-"

"I know, she keeps going on and on"

"She's excited. Finally twenty-one…", Rick frowned as he thought about the event, "Don't know how I feel about seeing Patrick, though"

Daryl's eyes crept over to him, "Don't blame you. Son of a bitch liked to keep secrets"

"Still her brother", Rick pointed out flatly, "And it's still her birthday, I don't wanna' ruin it for her, but If I see him-"

"He's getting a good ol' fashioned beatin'. He deserves it for all he did"

Rick clenched his jaw, "He does"

The two men were able to spend an unhealthy amount of time staring at the television. Not watching anything in particular, just continuing to flick through channels until something caught their eye for the moment, occasionally taking a break to converse.

"How long does Sasha jog for?", Rick enquired, squinting at his watch when he lifted his wrist, using the light from the TV to see.

"Uh…", Daryl looked at him, "An hour?"

"It's been about… three?"

The man stared at him for a few moments, then hopped out his seat, "Where the hell is she then?"

Rick could have scoffed, "She might have stopped off somewhere-"

"She could have called…", Daryl shoved his boots on, making no attempt to tie his shoelaces. The man marched over to the front door and yanked it open, much like his girlfriend had did hours earlier, "I might go out looking for her…"

"Yeah?", Rick stretched as he stood up, "You want some help with that?"

"Nah, it's alright-"

The hallway filled with light as muffled laughter became clear, the neighbouring door swinging open to reveal Sasha, "...They always do that but it's fine, just make sure you open the-"

"You been here this whole time?", Daryl questioned angrily, "You couldn't have knocked on the door and told me?"

Sasha's wide eyes quickly narrowed as she focused on her boyfriend, "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing, but Rick was worried"

Rick was so used to his friend throwing him under the bus when it came to Sasha, that he just gave her a little nod as he stepped out the apartment, "It's getting late"

Sasha's narrowed eyes darted over to meet his for only a second, before looking back at Daryl, "I was right here, Rick didn't need to be worried-"

"Sorry Dixon! I saw her coming back and I pulled her into see something… we got carried away", Michonne stepped into view, her hair swinging freely as she peeked around the door frame.

Rick froze with delight, while Daryl gruffed, "Women"

Sasha rolled her eyes as she stepped across the hall, "I will speak to you later, girl"

"Bye…", Michonne called, straightening up when she noticed Rick, "Hi again…"

"Hey", He cleared his throat, hoping he didn't look too scruffy from sitting on the couch for the last few hours.

"You leaving?", Daryl quizzed roughly, obviously still annoyed.

"Uh, yeah go on. I'll stop by in the week", Rick hurried, wishing his friend would disappear back into the house.

"Alright... night 'Chonne", Daryl called, trudging back into his apartment.

"Night Dixon", Michonne called back, leaning on the door frame as she crossed her arms, wearing a friendly smile as Daryl closed the door, "So… you guys are friends?"

"Yeah, we are. Grew up together and work together… hang out together"

"Sweet", She chimed, "He's a great guy. He helped me fix this stupid light when we moved in"

"Yeah he's helpful like that"

She made tiny circles with her toe as she fidgeted, "Yeah..."

She was smiling at him as he smiled back at her, and for a moment he forgot about their whereabouts. Her lashes were curled perfect around her dark brown eyes, and her lips were full and appeared pillow soft, almost as if they were in a constant pout. Rick could barely tear his eyes away from her, "So… Uh, you heading out tonight or-"

"Oh no… having a quiet night in. Me and my roommate, slash best friend, always go out and… she has a date so I'm just going to watch a movie… relax"

"That doesn't sound too bad"

"Yeah, but it's a little boring", She giggled, and it was the sweetest sound Rick had ever heard, "But I don't want to go out to a bar by myself or anything…"

Not one to miss an opportunity, he quickly suggested, "...Do you wanna' go out? I'm not doing anythan' now so...I mean-"

She stood up straight, "Now?"

"Yeah, I mean if you're feeling up to it?"

Michonne glanced back in her home, "Um… I don't mind... I mean, yeah sure, uh, can you give me a minute? So I can just get changed-"

"Sure. Go head, take all the time you need", His heart raced in his chest, "My trucks just there so you can-"

She looked in the direction that he pointed, "Oh okay, well I'll be right out"

"Alright."

It was suffice to say that Rick was feeling both giddy and petrified. He had only met the girl earlier in the day, and he wasn't expecting to see her again that same night, but he was available and so was she. It would seem like a waste to let the night go amiss, and given the choice of going home to an empty house or spending the remainder of the night with Michonne, he would dive for the latter as he did wish to stare at her some more, but he couldn't help wonder if he was a little too eager to see her. She was a effectively a perfect stranger, and yet he had already decided that he needed to know everything about her, so he would have to throw caution to the wind on this occasion, and worry about his insecurities later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"He sounds like a stalker! He was just waiting outside our apartment?! What kind of creep-"

"He was at the neighbour's house, he said he's friends with Dixon, Andrea", Michonne explained in breathy tone as she yanked her tightest pair of jeans up, "We're going to a bar-"

"Hey listen, I'm all for the ' _get your leg over another to get over the other_ ' thing but I don't think _this one_ is the one to do it with-"

"What? I'm not using him to get over Mike? I don't… I don't think I am? He's cute and I'm bored so-"

"Just make sure you write down his licence plate number… and don't go to some dingy little bar either, go somewhere well lit… and take the drink straight from the bartender's hand, don't let him handle it-"

"Andrea I don't get and creep vibe from him. I mean he's coming on a little strong and I'm not sure if I'm really ready for all of that but he's seems sweet-"

"Don't leave your drink unattended!"

Michonne huffed as she stood up, feeling light headed from rushing around her room, "Okay, got it. Look, are you coming back here later?"

"Depends. Things are looking a little _small_ from where I'm standing-"

"Can he hear you?!", Michonne frowned at her phone in horror.

"Course not! I ran out to take your call. He's cute and he's a little on the simple side, but his arms are huge and I'm trying to see what's happening under that shirt-"

"And this is where I leave you. Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Yeah maybe. I'll call you"

"Alright, bye!"

After checking herself in the mirror from every angle her neck would allow, Michonne raced out of the apartment she shared with Andrea, feeling only a little apprehensive about the night ahead. Despite her best friend's reservations, Rick appeared to be rather sincere, and she wanted a chance to clear her mind by focusing on somebody new.

"Oh, wow. You… really did, uh-", Was his response to her outfit, his steely blue gaze scanning her from head to toe, "I mean, you look great"

She giggled, moving her dreads from her shoulder, "Thank you… So, ready?"

"Very", He opened the passenger door for her, then stepped aside to allow her in his vehicle.

Michonne happily hopped in, making a quick and discreet sweep of any items in view, trying to get a feel of the kind of person he was. Nothing stood out to her, and so she sat back and fastened her seatbelt, when her foot hit something under the seat, followed by some sort of nursery rhyme tune. She reached down and picked up the duck that little up and sang, narrowing her eyes at the toy, then Rick as he took his place in the front seat.

"Ah… you found it", He sighed, "It's my son's"

She slowly nodded, "Oh… How old is he?"

"He just turned three", He explained as he started his truck.

Michonne placed the toy beside her on the seat, "Surprised you have time to go out?"

"I don't. He's with his grandmother for the night but the rest of the time it's just the two of us"

Her heart sank, wondering if his son's mother had passed away, "Oh, I'm sorry"

He must have picked up on her sombre tone, as he glanced at her, "His mother's not dead, If that's what you're-"

"Oh!", She slapped her hand to her chest, "Oh, sorry, I thought- because of how you said…"

He bit his lip as he chuckled silently, "My mistake, no she's just not around"

"Okay, I get it. Well sorry about that too, and I'm glad she's not… dead", Michonne could have kicked herself, "Um, so taking the conversation off… not dead people…"

He laughed louder, "We'll avoid that topic"

Michonne tried not to fidget nervously, "So you were born and raised here?"

"Yeah, all my life so far. I haven't really been anywhere else"

"Really? No vacations away?"

He shook his head as he glanced at her again, "Not really somethan' I've wanted to do… What about you?"

"I just moved from Atlanta, actually. I go to college there but it's cheaper for Andrea and I to live out here"

"What are studying?"

"Law"

His eyebrows sprung up, "Oh? You thinking about becoming a lawyer?"

"I am. I'm working as a secretary right now at that firm in town"

"Really? Surprised I haven't seen you… We're always working with them"

She waved her hand dismissively, "That's a good thing because I look like a boring wallflower in my work clothes"

He smirked, "I can bet my right arm that's probably not true"

Michonne felt the blood rush to her cheeks, "Your arm, huh? You must not need that then"

Laughter erupted from him again, and something about seeing him grin sent a delightful little shiver through her body. He looked over at her again, "So you'll be in town for a while?"

"I should be. I like it here, it has a great vibe"

"It is a great place. Not sure it has as many stores as you city girls are used to…"

She snorted at him playfully, "I don't shop that often, maybe once a week?"

"Once a week, huh?", His face fell as he stared out the windshield blankly, "...Oh, well uh… that's not that bad, I guess?"

"It's not really, compared to other people", She insisted innocently.

He slowly nodded his head, "...Well yeah, that's true"

Michonne was quickly finding Rick quite adorable, and unable to keep her eyes off him for too long, especially when he would steal a glance at her while he drive.

He took her to a bar that she was becoming familiar with, ran by a slightly older man with a thick black beard. She was getting comfortable with the people in Kings County, so greeted the man with a warm smile, "Hey Dale"

"Hey there!", The man smiled, his eyes darting back and forth between her and Rick, "Hop on a stool, I'll be with you in a second"

Rick peered at her curiously, "You come here often then?"

"I guess you can say that", She took a seat on the bar stool, "It's a nice little place, and I like the music"

"You like this music?", He began to smile as he sat beside her, "I can barely stand it myself"

"What? You should like it more than me!"

"Maybe because I've grown up hearing it constantly", He shrugged, "I was tired of it before I could even walk"

"So we can't go dancing then?", She teased, resting her forearms on the bar.

Rick cringed, "I'm a terrible dancer anyway"

"I don't believe that", She snorted, looking towards Dale as he approached them.

"Rick here, always gets a scotch on the rocks", The man explained as he slid the glass over to Rick, "And here are your shots"

Rick's frowned as he watched Dale slide four little glasses in front of Michonne, "...Uh-"

"I won't drink anything else", She explained after draining one of the glasses already, "Four shots is all I need… sometimes"

"Oh?"

"Yeah", She smiled, feeling slightly more relaxed knowing she had anything drink within arm's reach, "So… tell me everything I need to know about Rick Grimes?"

In hindsight, Michonne would have picked somewhere else to go on her date with Rick, as she revelled in the fact that she was young and able to drink more than necessary, and she did just that as the night progressed, so it came as no surprise to her that she couldn't remember when they had left the bar and ended up outside her home, kissing feverishly against the wall.

"How about… you open the door?", Rick muttered against her lips, his eyes looking towards her apartment.

"Pick me up", She demanded, her hands clamped at the base of his neck as she licked his bottom lip.

Rick did as he was told with ease, wrapping her legs around his waist, "This is great… but… can we go inside?"

Michonne kissed along his jaw, "I don't know where my keys are…"

"That sounds like a _problem_ then, Michonne?", Rick pointed out, appearing to have snapped out of his horny haze.

"Sasha… key", She began kissing him again, pushing her tongue between his lips, moaning loudly when he kissed her back, her fingers combing through his hair. He groaned, pinning her against the wall so she felt his swollen length against her crotch, sending a shiver down her spine.

"The door… a _key_ ….", Was all Michonne could hear him whisper, but she couldn't fathom the need to go inside, she would have had him right there and then.

"Shhh!", She insisted, "Just… put your hand on my ass-"

The sound of someone clearing their throat nearby cause Rick to whip his head around, "Oh… boy"

Michonne wasn't expecting to see Daryl at his front door, wearing his sweatpants, holding a garbage bag in his hand, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them as he muttered, "How y'all doing?"

"Great!", She smiled, a little too intoxicated to care that she was caught in a compromising position.

"I can see that", Daryl replied casually, "...So where are y'all coming from this time of night?"

"The bar. Rick's really fun-"

"Okay, well uh… Michonne can't find…", Rick finally put her down, "Her key? She said somethan' about Sasha?"

Daryl slowly nodded, as he took a small step back into his home, reaching for something out of view, all while he continue to look at them. He swiftly produced a silver key, "Here ya' go"

Michonne walked over unsteadily to retrieve it, biting her lips together as she tried not to giggle. Rick had resorted to pinching his nose bridge with his head bowed, refusing to look up.

Everyone remained silent as Michonne opened the door, then strolled back over to Daryl to give the key back, "Thanks Dixon"

"No problem. You two enjoy yourselves", He grinned evilly at her.

"Oh, we will-"

"Alright, let's get you inside", Rick urged, taking Michonne by the waist, "Maybe get you some coffee…"

"Bye Dixon!", She chimed, waving at him from over her shoulder.

"Y'all have a good night!"

"Quiet you!", Rick hissed back his friend, obviously trying to ignore the man as he snickered.

Michonne began stripping off her clothes as soon as they walked through the door, throwing her shirt one way and her bra the other, while Rick held his hands up to stop her, "Maybe we really should get you some coffee..."

She silenced him with her lips and placing her hands on her ass. If she was in her sober mind she would have enjoyed having a hot beverage with him while sat on her sofa, but she found the man simply beautiful, and having spent most of the evening staring at his lips, she wasn't going to waste another minute talking.

"My bedroom", She ordered, pulling him by his belt buckle to follow her, "Now"

He grabbed her by her waist and hoisted her in the air, allowing her to wrap her legs around him once more, "Where?"

"Down... the… hall", She informed, using one hand to undo his shirt buttons.

"...Which-"

"That one!", When he was finally able to find her bedroom, he placed her on the bed before ridding himself of his clothes, but Michonne wasn't faced with such an easy task, "Can you help me… please?"

He took hold of her ankle and began tugging her jeans off, "Were these sewn on?"

"You could say that…", She smirked, pulling them off from her thigh, "Just rip them off"

"Yeah?", He raised an eyebrow at her, gathering as much material as he could in both hands, then proceeded to yanked the jeans from her body.

Michonne bit her lip as she looked up at him, "Lay down"

"Yes ma'am"

She retrieved a condom from her nightstand and opened it with her teeth while Rick did as he was told, laying down in the centre of her bed. She handed him the protection, giving her the opportunity to remove her thong and straddle him, when her eyes fell along his impressive length, leaving her to mutter to herself, "Well…"

"What's wrong?", He quizzed, his hands stroking her thighs tenderly.

"Nothing", She purred, taking him in her hand and slowly easing him inside her, "Nothing at all…"

It took some time but she was able to swallow him whole, and he did more than just fill her, as she was sure she could feel every vein and curve of him. She was sure she heard him growl, but she couldn't be sure, as she was too busy getting comfortable, rolling her hips around in small circles.

"I should probably let you know…", He breathed, his fingers gripping her thighs, "It's been a while so-"

"We should get this first round out the way?", She opened her eyes and peered down at him, "Alright"

She placed both hands on his chest and lifted herself until only his tip remained inside her, then came down on him with a little force, enough to make his eyes widen and her own breath hitch in her throat, but she did it again and again. She had never been so excited during sex as she was with Rick, her heart thumping in her chest as she locked eyes with him, his nails grazing the skin of her ass when he squeezed her cheeks. She decided in that moment that she wanted to give him the most terrific night of his life.

She leaned back, knees in the air as she rested her hands on his thighs and began to bob up and down, giving him the best view she could himself disappearing inside of her.

Rick's hands clamped on her ankles as he panted, "God _fucking_ dammit…"

Her head rolled back as she smirked, pleased to hear his feedback while she lost herself in the feel of him, rolling her hips every time he impaled her.

"Oh boy… I think I'm in love with you", He breathed, stroking her calves as he watched her from beneath heavy lids.

Michonne giggled as she shifted her position again, still crouching but with both hands on his abs, "I'm not done"

"Do whatever you want"

And so she did, beginning to bounce on him with a vengeance, and the sensation the contact caused was enough to make her cry out. Rick seemed to breath in time with her movements, his eyes glued to her face as she scratched at his skin. Their sex smothered all her senses; she could still taste him, smell him, hear him panting below her, and it was a combination of things that dreams were made of.

Michonne initially believed that she was trying to make him reach his climax first, but she could feel an intensity building in her core, making her desperate to feel every inch of him inside her. Her heart raced, and she bit her lip to stop herself from getting any louder as she found her release, her walls pulsing as she threw her head back.

"Fuck!", Rick growled, frowning as he grabbed hold of her hips, thrusting into her as his member jerked with delight. She could barely lift her head, unable to move straight away as she came soaring down from her high, still gripping him involuntarily when he moved beneath her.

She eventually crumbled onto his chest with trembling legs, her breathing shallow, feeling as if she was floating on air. His arms wrapped around her, holding him against her as he looked up to the ceiling with tired eyes.

"...That was the first round, huh?"

She giggled again, lifting her head to look at him, "It can be?"

He slowly nodded as his eyes combed her face, "I'm pretty much willing to do anythan' you want me to"

She buried her face in his neck as she cackled, not particularly taking any of his words to heart and just enjoying the moment for what it was. Rick was easily the most attractive man she'd ever seen, and he had been the perfect gentleman who made her laugh for most of the night, but having just came out of a long term relationship, she wanted to enjoy her newly found freedom for a while. It would have been ideal for her to have told Rick that beforehand though, as the next morning she woke up with a headache, and a limb draped across her middle, holding her tightly.

It had took her several seconds to remember chunks of the previous night, and while their tryst had been mind blowing, she would have thought that he would have left long before she woke up.

So Michonne inched away from him, moving at the speed of moss and praying that she wouldn't wake him, and she had almost made it when he grabbed hold of her with a claw, dragging her back against him, all her efforts wasted.

"Where were you going?", He rasped, his lips brushing her ear.

She hummed a high pitched response, "Hm? Oh, I just... wanted to brush my teeth, I still smell like alcohol-"

He cupped her cheek, turning her head to face him so he was able to press his lips against hers. Michonne's eyes snapped shut in defeat, allowing him to give her a little kiss before she whispered, "Never mind…"

"You sleep alright?", He enquired softly, his thumb brushing her chin.

"Yeah, yeah great… I mean I have a little headache but… I'll live", She kept her eyes on the ceiling, and didn't dare look elsewhere, "You?"

"Great. No complaints here", He replied. She slowly nodded her head as she bit her lips together, trying to think of what to say next when he continued to speak, "You have anythan' planned for today?"

"Oh...Um, not really- I don't really know, I should probably study or something… why? What about you?"

"Well…", He released her for a moment to look at his watch, "I don't have to get my son until the afternoon… so we can go get breakfast or somethan' if you want?"

Michonne tried to hide her hesitation, "Breakfast? Now?"

He flashed her crooked smile as he leaned over her on one of his forearms, his leg resting between hers, "Not right this minute…"

Michonne had only a very small window of opportunity of tell Rick how she felt, and so she took it, when his lips were only a hair away from kissing her again, "Maybe we _shouldn't_...do that?".


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"Okay can you hold on a second, please? Rick, I'm _sorry_ \- I probably should have said something earlier-"

Rick whipped around to look at her incredulously, his bright blue eyes flashing all over her with disbelief, " _Probably_?"

Michonne took a deep breath, standing in front of him in only a tank top and her underwear, "I should have said something earlier but I really… I didn't think that- I thought we were on the same page?-"

"You thought I wanted a one night stand too?", He squinted at her, his light brows falling into a straight line.

She gasped in shock, swatting at him, "Don't call it _that_! That's not what that was!"

Rick frowned as he peered down at his arm, "Did you just hit me?"

She appeared to ignore his question, "We were having fun and that's where it ended up- I honestly didn't even think you'd be here when I got up-"

"I don't do thangs like that. I told you that I've been single for two years now, so the fact that I even asked you out should have gave you some indication that I'm ready to change that"

"And I've been in a relationship for the last two years and I told you that", She stressed, resting her hand on her hip, "I'm not saying that I never want to see you again or anything, I'm just saying that I'm not-… dating isn't something that I'm interested in right now, and I'm sorry if I gave you that impression and I hope we can be friendly if we bump into each other around town? Because you're really sweet and funny… and… last night was great- _perfect_ , in fact"

Rick sighed, raking his hands through his hair as he focused on her last few words, "Perfect, huh?"

"Yeah", She huffed, her beautiful brown eyes glowing as she gave him an apologetic look, "Sorry"

It occurred to Rick that from the moment he laid eyes on Michonne, he couldn't look anywhere else. His body responded to everything the younger woman said or did; her infectious smile, her contagious laughter, the way she flicked her dreads over her shoulder and batter her dark lashes had Rick ready to do everything and anything humanly possible to make her happy. She was his idea of perfection, and he had already decided that from the moment she locked eyes with him, he was going to have her in his life.

She wore a pensive expressions as she watched him, clearly eager for his response, and so Rick began to nod his head in agreement but swiftly stopped, "I actually don't think I can accept that"

Her brows knitted together to show her confusion, "Um, excuse me?"

"I can't accept what you're saying to me…", He blew out a breath, his gaze falling to her full lips, and he remembered how he loved to watch her speak and how good it felt to kiss her. It strengthened his argument, "You can't tell me that you're not ready for anythan' but in the same breath tell me that last night was perfect?... That… that sounds you're feeling more than you're letting on"

Michonne's mouth snapped shut for a second, and her eyes soon narrowed, "I said I'm _not_ ready to-"

"I want you to consider giving me a chance", He proposed, standing up a little straighter, "Because I can promise you that I'll be more than happy to give you many more perfect moments, if you let me"

She hesitated to speak, tearing her gaze away from him and looking elsewhere, "Rick, I'm very sure that I-"

"I'll talk to you soon", He rested his hand on her waist as he leaned forward and kissed her soft cheek, and stealing one last whiff of her sweet scent, before leaving her rooted in place as he left her apartment.

It was gamble on Rick's behalf, as he wasn't entirely sure how she would react to him rejecting her rejection, but he couldn't just simply walk away from her, and in spite of her protests, he knew she enjoyed him almost as much as he enjoyed her. And he enjoyed her a lot.

"Daddy!"

Rick smiled as he scooped his son up in his arms, "How are you doing buddy?"

"I eat the grass", Carl explained, pointing at the lawn.

"Oh yeah? Well how about we never do that again and you show me what you were doing with grandma", Rick began to stroll across his parents backyard towards his mother. After leaving Michonne's apartment, he went straight home to shower and change before retrieving his son from his sleepover.

"Grandma made cookies", Carl grinned, his big blue eyes lighting up.

"That's what that is around your mouth", Rick chuckled, brushing the crumbs away with his thumb, "I'm so glad you've been having the time of your life… eating grass and cookies"

"I tried to get him to stop but he really likes the grass", His mother huffed, looking up at Rick from her spot on the lawn, sitting on a floral sheet covered in toys and snacks, "We were having a picnic while your father planted that rose bush for me"

"Where is he?", Rick questioned, putting Carl back down on the ground.

"He went to get somethan' out the garage… So how was Maggie?"

"Good.", He nodded, resting his hands at his sides as he looked around, "All good"

"Great. Y'all go out?"

"Uh, nah. We didn't"

"How you doing son?", His father rasped, appearing nearby with a hand shovel, "Glad you're here actually, come dig this hole for me"

Rick knew his father would put him to work like he always did when he was at their home, which is precisely why he wore an old pair of jeans, "Alright"

"So you just went home? You didn't go out or nothing?", His mother continued, lifting her sunhat so she could see Rick.

He shook his head, "Nah."

"Oh… you hear that William? Rick said he _didn't_ go out last night…"

His father was about to hold out the garden tool to Rick, but quickly pulled away, giving him a stern look instead, "You lying to your mother, boy?"

Rick frowned at the older man, before looking back to his mother with a questioning expression, but when he saw she had her eyebrows raised, he exhaled tiredly. It was a look that his mother often wore when she was waiting to catch he or his brother out in a lie, and it really was a shame that she still felt it was necessary to use it with her adult son, "I just went out for a drink-"

"We went to the store this morning to get some thangs, and we bumped into Dale, who told us that you were at his place with a pretty young girl?", His mother tilted her head at him as she wore a wryly grin, "Now who might that be?"

Rick took the shovel from his father and crouched down, "You don't know her"

"So tell me about her then? What's her name? She live nearby? Did you tell her about Carl? Dale said she goes by the bar a lot, so I hope she doesn't drink too much-"

"How deep do you want this?", Rick asked his father, looking up at him through squinted eyes.

"Don't ignore your mother", His father pointed out sternly, "And pretty deep"

Rick exhaled a second time, "She's just a girl I met that I took out to the bar, and that's it-"

"Can I meet her? I'd like to meet her?", His mother leaned forward as she tried to see his face, "You told her about Carl right?"

"I think I might dig another hole for myself…", Rick muttered, scooping out heaps of dirt hurriedly.

"Well?"

"Yes mom, I told her about Carl"

His mother smiled excitedly, resting back with her hands behind her, "Oh good. You should let her know that you're a father before anythan' else, so she can understand that you have other responsibilities-"

"Yes, mom", Rick nearly hissed, still mindful that he father was hovering over him.

"Thank you, baby", His mother gazed adoringly at Carl as he handed her one of his action figures, but still continued her speech, "These girls nowadays love going out every chance they get, going to parties and such, so you have to get one that's fine with staying in with you and my grandson… ready to take on a mothering role-"

"Got it, mom!"

Rick spent the remainder of his afternoon being his father's shadow as he completed a few odd jobs before he was free to leave with Carl, who was reluctant to leave as he loved spending time with his grandmother in particular, and because he knew that they would resume their regular routine for the week ahead.

Carl would be dropped off at day-care before Rick went to work, which was always a bittersweet moment for him, as he loved to see his son play with his little friends but he couldn't be late for work, so he often had to leave soon after they arrived.

When he did finally make it to work, he was immediately bombarded with task after task, barely given a chance to enjoy his morning coffee, but he preferred to be busy, rather than sitting around staring at paperwork.

By the time lunch rolled around he was finishing up with a small dispute in town, and able to go to lunch right away with Daryl by his side, and in spite of his friend's complaints of hunger, Rick had other matters to attend to before food.

"Where the hell are we going? The diner's that way", Daryl pointed out angrily, frowning at Rick.

"I just need to check somethan' out, that's all", He shrugged, "Won't be long"

Daryl's eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at Rick, obviously trying to figure out what he was up to, "What's it got to do with?"

Rick glanced in his direction, "Huh?"

"You heard me"

He glanced at him again, "I just need to see somethan', that's all"

"...Or someone", Daryl muttered loud enough for him to hear as he sniggered, peering out the windshield.

"I just need to do somethan'...", Rick ignored his friend's remark as he pulled up outside the florist, "You can wait here-"

"You damn right I will"

It was a plan that had come to Rick while helping his father the day before, and he wanted it put in action as soon as possible, even if it meant suffering the wrath of a hungry Daryl.

When his secret task was complete, he returned to his vehicle and quickly drove them over to the diner, hoping things would run without a hiccup.

"Well hey there, little brother!"

Rick and Daryl both groaned when they caught sight of the older Dixon brother sat in a booth, beside an equally fifthly looking blonde haired woman. Rick didn't bother to look twice as he continued to take a seat at the bar, and Daryl joined him.

"Oh come on, you not gonna' come over and introduce yourself?", Merle pouted, "Don't be rude, this is my lady, Charlotte. Charlotte that's my little brother Daryl, and his friend… Rick"

"How y'all doing?", The woman grinned, revealing that was missing a tooth or two.

Rick cleared his throat to hide his shock, "Good, nice to meet you"

Daryl just gave the woman a quick nod of his head before turning around to give Rick an uneasy look that made him smirk.

"Oh wow, you're just popping up everywhere aren't you?"

Rick turned his head in the other direction when he heard the familiar voice, and saw Andrea stood nearby, holding a white paper bag in one hand and the other perched on her hip. He forced a smile on his face, "Andrea, right?"

"Oh, you know exactly who I am", Her eyes darted all over him before she tilted her head, looking past him to send Daryl, "Hey Daryl"

The other man gave her a little nod, "Andrea"

"So…", She quickly turned her attention back to Rick, "Out for lunch, I see?"

"Yep", Rick eyes her suspiciously, "And yourself?"

"I am", Andrea began to slowly stroll away wearing an evil smile, muttering under her breath, "Stalker"

"You ain't going to introduce me to your friend, little brother?", Merle sat up straight in the booth, looking Andrea from head to toe with predatory eyes. When Daryl only glanced over his shoulder without a word, the man decided to speak for himself, "My name's Merle"

Andrea appeared disgusted as she picked up the pace, her top lip curling in horror, "Good for you"

"Rude!", Merle scowled as he watched her leave, only realising that the lady sat beside him was giving him a scornful look when she blocked his view, "Oh don't look like that, I was just being friendly"

"...We should get our food to go", Rick sighed, not daring to look back again.

Daryl scoffed in agreement, "You got that right".

With the week taking off on a relatively good start, bar one or two questionable moments, Rick had a slightly more positive outlook the next day. He dropped Carl off at day-care and even risked being late to work so he could watch his son greet his friends, which only elevated his mood further, so when he did finally reach the police department, he had a small smile on his face that refused to leave.

"You file that police report yesterday?", Daryl probed as he walked past Rick's desk to get to his own.

"I did", He replied easily, his forehead resting on his hand as he read a sheet of paper on his desk.

"Good, thought I might of lost it"

"Nope", Rick's eyes darted to his cell phone when it began to vibrate, and he snatched it off the desk so quickly that he almost dropped it, "Uh, hello?"

"Hey", Michonne chirped.

"Hey", A large, goofy smile spread across his face as he sat back in his chair, "What's going on?"

"I got the flowers you sent..."

"Did you like them?", He bit his lip nervously, ignoring the way that Daryl was peering at him from nearby, "I wasn't really sure which ones to get you-"

"These are fine, they're great, there's…A lot of flowers here, I can barely get to my desk... But they're all really pretty, and you really didn't need to do this"

"I wanted to though"

"...Rick, I really don't know what to say"

"You don't need to say anythan' else"

"But I feel like I should, and I have a feeling that this might be the start of what's to come…"

He squinted at the wall across from as he thought of the other plans he had to woo her, "...I guess you could say that"

He heard her sigh, "I don't want you to-"

"Jesus Christ, Michonne! What the hell is all this?! I can't even… I can't even walk in here!", Rick heard a man yell in her background.

"I'm so sorry Mr Andrews-", Michonne began, her voice high with panic, which only set alarm bells ringing in Rick's head.

"Get off the goddamn phone, get up and get all this outta' here, now! And unless you wanna' work through your lunch break, I suggest you do it fast!"

"Okay, got it", Michonne sighed again, "Rick, I have to-"

"Alright, go on", Rick finished for her, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. He waited for her to hang up the phone before he stood up, looking towards Daryl, "We need to head over to the law firm"

"Why? Somethan' happened?", His friend jumped up just as quickly.

"Mr Andrews? You know him?"

"Nah, why?"

"I don't like his attitude", Rick huffed, walking around his desk, "And I think he needs to know that"

The look on Daryl's face suggested that he knew exactly what Rick meant, and he did little to object or stop him as he stalked out the room, other than follow him.

Rick was willing to take full responsibility for filling Michonne's place of work with flowers, and while he knew that he should have been a little more mindful before making his romantic gesture, he would have never have thought that her boss would react in such a way. A way that Rick really didn't like at all.

He and Daryl took the squad car over to the firm, where he took the chance to brief his friend on what he had done and why they were heading over there, which only seemed to amuse Daryl more than anything.

"You think she'll be alright with you turning up here?", He quizzed, unfastening his seatbelt as the car came to a rolling stop, "Threatening her boss?"

Rick gave a little shrug as he mimicked his actions, "I think we'll keep this to ourselves"

"Best idea you've had yet"

Rick knew he could get into the building without seeing Michonne since he'd been there plenty of times before without ever running into her, so he and Daryl went the usual way, through the front entrance and to the receptionists desk to find out where they could speak to Mr Andrews.

After a few instructions they made their way to the top floor via the staircase, keeping their heads down as a way to remain inconspicuous.

"Mr Andrews?", Rick enquired politely as he stepped into the office, the door already open.

The portly man looked up, his silver brows rising, "Yes? How can you help you officers?"

Daryl stepped in the room and closed the door behind him, while Rick approached the desk slowly, "I'm Deputy Rick Grimes, and I actually wanted apologise for the flowers that I sent-"

"That was you?", The man chuckled lightly as he sat back, his chair creaking beneath his small, but evidently heavy frame, "Oh don't worry about it, it's not a bother at all"

Rick's face tightened, "Really? Because it didn't sound like it when you were yelling at Michonne?"

The man's smile vanished, "Now, I wasn't yelling at her-"

"You were. I heard it loud and clear on the other line", Rick cocked his head to the side as he sized the man up, "If you wanna' be upset with anyone, then it should be me"

Mr Andrews slowly inhaled as he shook his head, "Deputy, it's not a problem at all, and Michonne knows that I don't mean anything when I talk to her like that-"

"Then don't", Rick nearly growled, his eyes zeroing in on the man, "Last I checked, her hearing was perfectly fine, so there should be no reason for you to raise your voice to her again. Ever again."

Mr Andrews sat up straight as he scoffed, "No offence deputy, but you can't just come in here and tell me how I should-"

"But I am", Rick slammed his hands down on the desk as he leaned forward, dropping his voice to a dangerously low level, "And I told you, if you wanna' yell at anyone then go right ahead, I'm right here, and I'll always be right here, but otherwise you watch your mouth, you understand me?"

Mr Andrews peered at Rick with apprehension, as if he was waiting to see what he might do next to drive the threat home. When Rick only continued to stare into the man's soul, he finally raised his hands in surrender, "Alright… fine, I understand. I don't want any problems"

"Neither do I", Rick insisted lightly as he straightened up, returning to his friendly demeanour, "And I'd hate to have to come back here like this"

Mr Andrews gave Rick a strange look as he breathed through gritted teeth, "Alright"

"Great, you have a good day, Mr Andrews", Rick tapped the man's desk before spinning around and heading towards the door, followed by and snickering Daryl.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"...So, how have you been? I haven't seen you around much…I mean, I was hoping we could still be friends, you know? We don't need to avoid each other or anything..."

Michonne found it impossible to look Mike in the eye so her gaze travelled all around his face, from his dark brows to his full lips, lips that used to sweep her off her feet whenever they touched. She flicked her dreads over her shoulder as she finally responded to him, "I'm not avoiding you, I've just been busy. As soon as I'm finished here I just head back into town"

Mike didn't even try to appear convinced, "I saw you and Andrea at that party the other night-"

"I can go to a party if I want to Mike, and evidently you can too if you saw me there", She pointed out dryly, "So what's the problem?"

Mike looked away from her, fidgeting with his hands like he often did when he felt guilty or ashamed, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not handling things as well as you"

That was obvious to Michonne, and despite the relief she felt for the demise of their relationship, she still cared for Mike, and didn't want him to know just how relieved she was. She pushed off her car door and looked around the parking lot, "You still have some stuff at my house… and I know that I left-"

"Yeah, I know", Mike nodded, finally looking back down at her, "I finish late most of this week though…"

"...You can just come by one night then if you're not too tired? I'll have your stuff ready…"

"Yeah, we'll do that then", He cleared his throat, hesitating before he went on to ask, "Maybe we can get dinner or something?"

"Mike.", Michonne only replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just dinner?", He insisted lightly, "You said so yourself that we could still hang out, strictly platonic"

She began to shake her head, "That wouldn't be a good idea"

Mike's eyes darted away from her for a brief moment, "Fine, then a goodbye dinner?... I have a feeling we won't be seeing each other after everything is done and dusted"

Michonne secretly hoped that was true. She nibbled on the corner of her lip as she considered the request, "Fine. A 'Goodbye dinner' then"

Mike flashed her a tiny smile, "Alright. Great"

Michonne honestly didn't wish to hurt Mike any further, but they needed to sever all ties for the moment, considering they had only just broken up the week prior. He was reluctant to end their time together but Michonne was adamant, having spent the last few months mulling over the idea. She still loved him and she wasn't ashamed to admit that, but whatever romance they shared evaporated into thin air as the days rolled on, and the man she once cared so deeply about no longer made her heart flutter.

However, the last thing she was expecting was to feel something so soon with Rick when she was finally single once again, which is partly why she tried to escape from his clutches when she woke up tangled in his arms, but after he rebuffed her refusal to go their separate ways and sent her roses, daisies and daffodils by the truck load, she realised that she probably wouldn't be that free for long if Rick had anything to do with it.

The persistence of a little older, a little taller, and unfairly attractive man like Rick was more than just flattering, especially after learning that he was a sweet, almost traditional gentleman and a father. The fact that he was also carrying a third leg around in his jeans was just an added bonus. He couldn't have appealed to her more if he tried, but she was desperate to enjoy herself as a single woman and in spite of Rick's affectionate displays to change her mind, she was determined to keep explore the new chapter in her life.

Or so she thought.

"Oh my god?", Michonne breathed, stepping around the little table that was set up beside her desk at the law firm. Two plates were sat atop of a crimson cloth, one with a grilled cheese sandwich and salad, and the other with a slice blueberry pie. She sat down as her desk chair with a huff, eyeing the slim vase that held a single rose, placed beside a bottle of pink lemonade.

"Lover boy set this up, I take it?", Andrea peered at the table from where she stood by the filing cabinets, "Who the hell is he hiring to do all of this? How are they getting past the front desk?"

Michonne was speechless, her mouth opening and closing for a few seconds as she tried to think of an answer, but she was soon distracted by the feel of something soft under her heels. She peered down and immediately scoffed, throwing her hands in the air, "Of course there are rose petals at my feet!"

Andrea snickered and she stalked across the room, "Of course! Check your drawers, he might have stuffed a wedding dress in there too"

Michonne was tempted to, "He's so sweet, it's not fair"

"I guess the single life isn't for you, huh?", Andrea huffed, resting a well-manicured hand on her hip, "Lover boy slash stalker seems to be working his way in that big ol' heart of yours?"

"I don't know who's worse, you or my dad?", Michonne snickered, "It's like you refuse to believe that no one is good enough for me"

"I just want to see Mr lover boy jump through a few more hoops before I trust him. We don't want a Mike number two, do we? Only bothered to make an effort after you've left clues all over the place-"

"Michonne, I'm gonna' need you to…", Mr Andrews began as he marched into the room with a folder in hand, stopping dead in his tracks when he spotted the new addition to their office furniture. His eyes bulged.

Michonne hoped from her feet, "I'm so sorry Mr Andrews, I'll clear this-"

"No, no", The man raised a chubby hand to stop her as he took a deep, calming breath, "It's fine. You… you uh, can go ahead and enjoy that… just get those transcripts sent out when you… get around to it...Thank you"

Michonne's head reeled back an inch, "Are… are you sure? Mr Andrews?"

"Yep. I'm very sure", He replied, his neck and cheeks beginning to flame as he spun around on his heel, barking to Andrea as he left the room, "Andrea hurry up and set up that meeting room for me!"

Andrea's mouth fell open in shock as she fired daggers at his back, hissing to Michonne when he was out of earshot, "What the hell was that?!"

"I don't know!", She shrugged, still looking at the doorway in shock, "Everything is just so… strange, right now"

"You got that right!", Andre growled, throwing the papers she retrieved to the filing cabinet on her desk with a huff before storming out the room, muttering under her breath, "Little, round son of a bitch…"

Michonne grabbed her cell phone off her desk as she turned her attentions back to her romantic dinner for one, which smelled even more delicious on a count of her empty stomach.

"Hey?", Rick answered smoothly, "Everythan' alright?"

"Hey, and yes, everything is... ", She sighed, "Rick, you can't keep doing stuff like this"

"Like what?"

"Like having my lunch set up like this?"

"...Did your boss say somethan' to you?", He quizzed, his tone thick with concern.

"No, he didn't- He actually told me to enjoy myself", She repeated with disbelief, "I've never heard those words leave his mouth before"

Rick chuckled at the other end of the line, "Oh great, he must be in a good mood then… I was hoping that I didn't get you in trouble again"

"No, but… how did you do this? No, wait Rick, you can't keep doing this-"

"Have you changed your mind about giving me a chance?", He rasped, his tone deeper and a little more commanding than usual, making Michonne's core twitch with delight.

She swallowed, balling her fist against her leg as she snapped her eyes shut, trying not to wonder what it would be like to have him pin her to her bed, "Rick, believe me when I say that I am flattered, and I think you are… amazing- but I really don't want to dive into anything right now"

"...I understand that, and I'm not asking you to move in and marry me yet, I just think that we have somethan' good here, and I think you should give me a chance to take you out again"

She frowned at the wall, "Did you just say you're not asking me to move in and marry you yet?"

"...Well, yeah? I mean, if you would rather do all that soon then it's fine with me"

Michonne bit her bottom lip, trying to surpass a giggle, "That's not funny"

"But you're smiling? I can tell"

She was smiling, unable to deny the delight she felt from speaking to him, but Michonne was hell bent on staying strong, "...Thank you again for… everything, but I have to get back to work…"

"Alright. Bye Michonne"

Keeping Rick from her mind was growing increasingly difficult, but she had to stand her ground, even though her legs were beginning to tremble.

She had discovered that the best way to distract herself from the opposite sex was to go out and enjoy herself, whether it was at a bar or at a party on or off campus, that's what she planned to do that weekend.

Luckily for her, Andrea was always in the mood for a party, and her best friend insisted they had a day of pampering beforehand, so they gave themselves chores for the day; Andrea would stay home and clean the apartment while Michonne ran to the store to get everything they needed in the run up to their night out.

"Make sure you have food in the fridge to eat, not just for face masks!", Michonne's mother issued firmly on the phone, "And make sure you have gas money for emergencies-"

"I know mom, you've told me- you always tell me", Michonne huffed, picking up an avocado and inspecting it, "We have plenty of food in the fridge already"

"And gas money?"

"And gas money. We're doing great out here and I wish you'd come and visit soon", She whined, leaning on the handlebar of the shopping cart as she strolled down the aisle, trying to remember if there was anything else she needed that was in reach.

"We will soon, but we need to help your brother sort out with his-"

"I don't want to know, mom", Michonne ejected dryly, her lip curling in disgust at the mention of her brother, "Just please, when you guys can spare the time then come down and check it out. I think you'll like it here"

Her mother sighed tiredly, "I really wish you and your brother wouldn't behave as if you're strangers, and not siblings"

"I just don't want to talk about him, mom", Michonne groaned, "I just want to check in on you and dad and that's it"

"He's your-"

"I _know_ , please don't remind me"

"Michonne Parker, stop that", Her mother warned, her usually cheery voice turning firm, "I don't like that at all"

Michonne made a face at the melons in front of her, "Yes, mom"

"And fix that face of yours"

Michonne instantly straightened up, "I hate how you do that"

"You'll learn when you have your own", The woman snickered, the sound of pots and pans clanking in the background as she moved around her kitchen.

"You'd really love the houses here. People really take pride in their lawns…", Michonne stopped to grab a bunch of bananas, moving the phone from one hand to another, "The flowers are beautiful…"

"I'll talk to your father about it when he's done trying to hammer himself through the floor. He's trying to put the new floor in your old room but refuses to call someone in for some help"

"Tell him to be careful", Michonne warned, setting the fruit down and beginning to push the cart again when her eyes met with a familiar set of blue ones.

Rick was stood nearby, beside his own cart, where a little boy was stood inside holding an apple to his chest as he peered up at Rick. It took her only a second to realise that he was with his son, as the boy had similar dark hair and bright blue eyes beneath his shapely brows.

"Michonne? You there? Can you hear me?-"

"Mom, can I call you back? I need to ask Andrea about something…", Michonne lied, looking back and forth from Rick to his son.

"Is everything alright? You have enough money?", Her mother enquired with a concerned tone.

"Yeah, everything's fine, just need ask her what stuff she wants. Don't worry, I'll call later"

"Alright? Go on, honey"

"Thanks. Love you, bye", She hurried quietly before hanging up the call. Her gaze stayed on the toddler for a while longer, amazed to learn that Rick's son was almost a carbon copy of his father, but much smaller and unbearably cute. She choked out a weak, "Hi?"

"Hey", Rick greeted back, a smile spreading across his face, "Everythan' alright?"

Michonne nodded, "Yeah? Great… Um, is this your son?"

Rick peered down at the boy, who was now collecting more items in his arms, "Yeah. That's Carl-"

"Introduce me", She nearly demanded, "Please?"

"Sure", Rick chuckled, resting his large hand on his son's tiny back, "Hey buddy, this is Michonne. You wanna' say hi?"

Carl's gaze followed his father's pointed finger, and landed on Michonne, who he quickly waved at, causing him to drop all his inventory back in the basket. Carl looked down and gasped, his little hand slapping on his cheek, "Uh oh!"

Michonne's heart melted, her eyes unable to look elsewhere, "It's okay! You can just pick them up again"

Carl crouched down in his denim dungarees and began picking up the apples, raising one in the air as he cheered, "I got it!"

"You did! That's great!", Michonne cheered with him, feeling the need to abandon her own cart so she could see him closer, "What else are you getting?"

Carl stood up straight again as he began to smile, "Um… cookies?"

"You want cookies? Should we go get you some?", Michonne grinned back at him as she put her handlebar, ready to go in search of the cookies for the little boy.

"Uh… Michonne?", Rick's voice came from beside her, and she whipped her head around to look up at him.

"Oh! Sorry… um", She took a small step back, "You're obviously busy… shopping, right?"

Rick's eyes seemed to glow with amusement, "Yeah, we were and it looked like you were too?"

"Yeah I was just getting some stuff… nothing exciting", She explained, her gaze creeping back over to Carl, "Are all the males in your family this beautiful?"

He smirked, "Nah, I think he's the best looking one"

"He looks exactly like you", She breathed, watching Carl continue his quest to fill his small arms with as many things as possible.

"So I've heard…"

Michonne would have jumped when she felt Rick's hand move one of her dreads from her face, but she had learnt on their first date

that Rick had a problem with the idea of not touching her, so she took another small step back, "You probably shouldn't do that…"

He raised his hands in surrender, "I apologise, just thought I'd help you out there"

Carl stood up again, picking up an apple in the process, then moving to the side of the cart to hold it out to Michonne, "You have dis' one"

She would have elbowed Rick out the way to retrieve it, "Oh, that's so sweet of you- Thank you, Carl"

The toddler grinned as he went back to his task, while Rick eyed Michonne, biting the corner of his bottom lip before he asked, "So how about we go out for dinner? Or you can come around, if you like?"

She tore her gaze away from his son to give him a disapproving look, "I thought we agreed that-"

"I haven't agreed with anythan' you've said so far", He pointed out flatly, "Not a damn thang"

Michonne had to purse her lips together tightly as she tried not to laugh, taking a brief moment you gather herself, "Well, you're right about that"

"Are you purposely trying to hide that smile from me?"

Between Rick's devilish grin and Carl's innocent one, Michonne's resolve was crumbling at an alarming rate, "I… should really let you get back to-"

He took hold of her wrist and her hand went limp, heat racing up her arm, "You didn't answer my question?"

Michonne slowly inhaled, as if that would help. It was all too apparent that Rick was just as determined as her, and even though her mind was telling her to run for the hills, she still found herself saying, "Fine. Dinner at your place and that's it"

Rick looked like the cat that got the cream, "Great. You'll be free to leave when we're done"

She frowned at his choice of words and was about to question the meaning when she heard the sweetest little sound of a child's giggle, and saw Carl spinning around in the cart until he fell on his butt. Breathless, he cheered, "I'm okay!"

Michonne's heart was ready to burst.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

"I just can't begin to understand why you won't tell me about her? I'm your mother- you should be able to tell me anythan'! Just tell me what she does or what she looks like- oh, I hope you haven't gone for one of 'those' kind of girls? All shine on the outside and dirt on the inside?"

Rick exhaled tiredly as he watched his father fix the porch light at the front of his home, trying his best to ignore the heavy stream of questions from his mother, "You need any help up there, dad?"

His father stopped fussing with the exposed wires and peered down at Rick, giving him a stern look, "Don't ignore your mother, boy"

Rick blew out a breath as he finally made eye contact with his mother, who was holding Carl on her hip while he munched away on one of the cookies she'd brought him, "She's nice. That's all you need to know for now"

His mother made a little groan, "Richard Grimes-"

"She works in town", He quickly offered vaguely, "And she's studying"

"Oh! Well, ain't that somethan'?... can I get a name?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll look for her and I don't want you to scare her off", Rick answered easily, squinting at his mother.

"I would never", His mother huffed, turning back into the home, "Come on grandbaby, let's go get you another cookie... _your father's talking crazy_ "

"Yay!", Carl cheered, his mouth covered in crumbs.

Rick smiled to himself as he remembered the way Michonne was ready to go in search for the treats for Carl when he saw her at the grocery store the weekend before.

"It's a good thang", His father announced, holding out his hand for Rick to pass him the pliers he held, "You're still young, and you shouldn't let what happened with the boy's mother hold you back"

Rick frowned up at his father as he handed him the tool, always surprised when he offered him advice regarding his love life, as it was a very rare occurrence, "I wasn't letting it hold me back. I just wasn't in a rush to start somethan' new"

"Uh huh", The older man tilted his head as he looked at the circuit, "Well just give your mother a break, she's worried you're gonna' end up like her father after her mother died"

"...What? Alone?"

"Nah. A gambler"

Rick's face pinched with confusion, "...What has one thang got to do with the other?"

His father smirked, "I'm sure women can see thangs that us men are too stupid to notice, because I thought the same thang when she first mentioned it"

Rick struggled to see the correlation between remaining single and developing a gambling addiction, but he was sure his mother would be delighted to explain it to him if he asked.

The truth was that Rick didn't intend to stay a single man for long, if he could help it. The fact that he was able to win himself another date with Michonne proved that all his efforts were paying off, and that his son was the perfect wingman.

He saw the way her eyes glowed when she caught sight of Carl, which only sealed the deal for Rick, and he was even more determined than before to capture her heart the way she'd capture his.

Which is why he wasn't surprised to receive a phone call from her the next evening after he'd returned home from work.

"Rick… I already agreed to have dinner with you, so you didn't need to keep doing this", She sighed, but something in her tone suggested to Rick that she was fighting back a smile. He'd studied her enough to know.

"I never said I'd stop everythan' else if you agreed to give me a chance", He explained with a wryly grin as he sat down on his couch, "Do you like it?"

"Who wouldn't love all this chocolate?"

"And wine"

"And wine. How could I miss the wine?", She smirked, "It's great. I'm surprised nobody stole it while it was out here"

Rick made a mental note to thank Daryl for storing the gift in his home until Michonne arrived, "Yeah. Lucky… so you just got home?"

"Yeah, Andrea and I did a little shopping after work. There was a sale so we had to go"

He narrowed his eyes at the TV screen, "Oh? You had to?"

"Yeah. Fifty percent off everything… deals like those don't come often"

Rick found himself nodding in agreement, "...Well, when you put it like that, I guess you're right"

"I am", She giggled, "So... is Carl in bed?"

"He is. Running around in circles all day is pretty tiring"

Michonne gave his joke a lovely little chuckle, "It probably is… he's so adorable"

Rick felt a grin spread across his face, "Well maybe the three of us can hang out sometime? Go to the park or somethan'? He loves it there. And he loves to eat grass"

"Really?", She chuckled as second time, "That's cute… but shouldn't we wait and see how dinner goes before making any more plans?"

"I guess we should…", He breathed, though he already had a rough idea of how their evening would go, and the following morning, "No harm in suggesting it though, right?"

"...No there isn't, and I'd love to see his little face again…"

"You can, anytime you want", He insisted lightly, "I'm sure he'd love your company. We both would"

Michonne released a little groan, "You're not one for subtlety, are you?"

"It's not somethan' I specialise in", He grinned again, combing his fingers through his hair tiredly, "I just like to make my intentions clear"

"And what are your intentions when it comes to me? Because between the endless flowers, the lunch, the rose petals, the basket full of chocolate and wine, I'm having a tough time working it out?", She quizzed playfully.

Rick played along, "Oh, well my apologies then. I'd like to let you know that I want more than just a one night stand, more than just-"

She gasped before hissing, "Stop calling it that, Rick! That's not what that was!"

He narrowed his eyes, "Michonne, what do you think a one night stand is?"

"I know what it is, but that wasn't what that was-"

"You thought I was just going to up and leave while you were asleep, so that makes it a one night stand-"

"But I wasn't planning on sleeping with you the same day I met you, Rick"

He raised a single brow as he questioned her, "So when were you planning on sleeping with me then?"

Michonne was silent for a short time, as if she were thinking about her answer carefully, "You know what? I just realised that I have a ton of work to do and I really need to get to that. _Now_. Right _now_."

"That's convenient?", Rick couldn't contain his amusement as he snickered, "Almost as if you're using that as an excuse to not answer my question?"

She ignored him, "So, dinner? Saturday?"

"Yeah, Saturday it is. I'm looking forward to it", Rick truly was looking forward to it, more than she knew.

He had every intention of letting his friend Maggie babysit Carl for the night while entertained Michonne in his home, but after his conversation with her on the phone, he begun to think otherwise.

Nonetheless, the rest week carried on as usual for the Grimes males; Carl spent his time in day-care while Rick fought a mountain of paperwork at the police department, doing his best to keep his focus off the upcoming weekend by preparing for Maggie's birthday dinner instead. She was one of his closest friends after all, and he made sure that he and Daryl found the time to go out and find her a gift, in spite of the fact that the other man absolutely detested the act of shopping.

"Pick that up and let's go", He demanded, pointing to a multi-coloured vase on the shelf nearest to him.

Rick cringed at the item, "I think Patricia would like somethan' like that"

Daryl releases a low growl in frustration, "Should have let Sasha come with you"

"I think I would actually prefer shopping with Sasha", Rick smirked, tilting his head as he eyed a painting of a ballerina on the wall, "I imagine that she's much better at this then you"

"Yeah yeah"

"I think this might be the one. She likes stuff like this", Rick insisted, taking a small step back to admire the picture from a different angle, "She said she painted her room-"

"Well get it then so we can go", Daryl ejected flatly, "I'm getting tired… and hungry"

"Wouldn't have guessed", Rick snickered to himself as picked up the chosen item, shamefully finding some amusement in his friends' unease.

Daryl looked Rick from head to toe as he strolled by him, his eyes narrowing as he quizzed, "The hell are you so happy about anyway? After the day we had?"

He shrugged as they made their way over to the counter, "Guess I'm just glad the weeks almost over"

Daryl's face pinched for a brief moment before falling blank, "I don't even know why I asked"

"Neither do I"

His friend shook his head in despair, "I'm surprised you weren't over there last night dishing out threats to the super"

Rick frowned as he sat the picture down on the counter, where the young sales assistant raised a finger in his direction as she spoke on the phone, so he turned back to face the other man, "The super? Why?"

"Sasha said he was over there complaining about somethan', making up a bunch of noise in the hallway-", Daryl explained in his husky tone.

"John? He was over there yelling?", Rick's frown deepened as he thought of the man who was always very respectful to Sasha and Daryl, "At her? He was telling at her?"

Daryl squinted at him, "She didn't say all that"

"And this happened last night?"

"That's what she said"

Rick exhaled, making a mental note to find the time to pay a visit to the apartment's superintendent. The thought of anyone speaking to Michonne roughly made him so uncomfortable that he had to do something about it, "Right".

As soon as their purchase was complete they returned to Rick's truck with Maggie's present in hand. He intended to collect his son from his parents' home after giving Daryl a ride to his apartment, but his friend had other plans, "Let me grab somethan' to eat"

"From where?", Rick asked as he fastened his seatbelt.

"Anywhere, just not that health food place", Daryl snarled towards the end of his sentence as he sat back in the passenger seat, "Sasha brought somethan' back from there… I don't even know what it was, just had a bunch of stuff in it"

Rick slowly nodded as he pretended to listen whilst pulling into the street, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, man. She's always bringing somethan' home, she can't come into town without spending money… always talking about a 'sale' going on"

"Well sometimes they have deals that don't come around too often, it makes sense to get a few thangs while you can", Rick shrugged as he peered out the windshield.

Daryl turned his head to look at him, his face a picture of disbelief, "...What the hell are you talking about?"

Rick sighed as he stopped at a red light and looked at his confused friend, ready to repeat himself when he noticed a familiar figure in the nearby lot, "That's Michonne"

Daryl followed his line of sight, and quickly spotted her too, "Yeah. That's her"

"What's she doing?", Rick couldn't help but smile as he tilted his head to see her properly. She appeared to be in her work clothes, a white shirt and black pencil skirt, with her hair wrapped in a bun on the top of her head. Even from quite some distance she managed to make his heart flutter.

"She's just standing there", Daryl pointed out dryly, "Why? You wanna' go stand with her?"

Rick wasn't going to disclose what he really wanted to do with Michonne, "Very funny"

"Aye, lights green, go"

"Who the hell is that?", Rick ignored Daryl s prompt when he saw a tall, dark skinned male approach Michonne, holding a box under his arm, "He's not from around here?"

"What? What the- drive!"

Rick tore his eyes away from Michonne and her mystery companion to start his truck up again, but instead of continuing on with their original route, he turned into the adjacent lot, finding a parking spot that faced the area Michonne was in, "I just wanna' see who he is"

Daryl couldn't look any more incredulous than he already did, his eyes darting from Rick, to the lot across the street, "You gotta' be kidding me"

Rick leaned forward, squinting as he watched Michonne retrieve a black garbage bag from the trunk of her car, "What is she doing?"

Daryl groaned mimicked his actions, sitting forward and squinting, "She got a brother or somethan'?"

"Yeah she mentioned him but she said they don't talk", Rick breathed, his eyes following her as she passed the bag to the man and closed the trunk door, "Did she take the box?"

"What box?"

"The box he was carrying? Did she take it?", Rick began to frown, "Are they swapping stuff?"

Daryl slowly inhaled as his gaze crept over to the driver's seat, "Why don't you just go over there and ask?"

Michonne followed behind the male as he went over to another vehicle and proceeded to place the bag in the trunk, leaving Rick unable to understand what was going on, "It could be her ex but I don't know anythan' about him"

His friend looked back towards the opposite lot, "Well it don't matter anyway, looks like they're tying thangs up, so nothing to see here-"

"Look", Rick almost hissed, pointing at the windshield as Michonne and the man made their way towards the nearby restaurant, "They're going in there"

Daryl began to squint again as watched them, "...Well… maybe she was hungry-"

"You need to get over there", Rick sat up straight, "You still want somethan' to eat, right?"

"What the hell has gotten into you?", Daryl rasped, his dark brows knitting together furiously.

"I don't want to hit anyone in front of her, I don't know how she'd take that", Rick answered honestly.

Daryl appeared torn, his eyes rolling from one place to another before he finally asked angrily, "And what if they ain't just tying thangs up?"

The hairs on the back of Rick's neck stood to attention as he answered coolly, "Then I'd break his jaw"

Rick didn't see the look that Daryl gave him as he exited the vehicle, but he heard the barrage of cuss words he muttered under his breath as he did so.

If he wasn't so hell bent on finding out what was going on between Michonne and the man he thought to be her ex-boyfriend, Rick would have had a moment to realise that his behaviour could easily be labelled as obsessive. Though that wouldn't be enough for him to alter his attitude.

"Hi daddy!", Carl chirped happily from his cell phone, "I ate a bug!"

Rick tried not to gag as he shifted in the driver seat, "Oh yeah? A bug… what… why- You know what? That's okay, but uh, how about we never do that again? They probably don't taste nice-"

"I can't find my car!", Carl complained, paying no attention to his father's comment.

"Well where did you put it?"

"...Um…"

Rick squinted as he listened to his son rummage around, "Carl? Carl, give the phone back to your-"

"I'm here", Rick's father huffed, "He put the phone on the ground so he could look for his toy"

He smiled to himself, "Great… Well uh, I'm running a little behind schedule but I shouldn't be too long-"

"That's fine, we're waiting on your brother anyhow, he's meant to be getting down here soon"

Ricks brows furrowed in surprise, "Yeah? You didn't mention that he was coming down here?"

"It was last minute. You know how he gets"

His face smoothed as he thought of how erratic his older brothers' behaviour could be since the loss of his wife a year prior, "Yeah... Alright, should I bring anythan'-"

"Just a bottle of scotch or somethan'... and don't wave it around when you get here, I don't want your mother to see"

"Got it", Rick hung up his phone before shoving the device back in his pocket and continued to stare through the windshield at the restaurant across the street. He wasn't sure how long he waited for Daryl's return, but when he finally spotted his friend leaving the building with a brown paper bag in his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he didn't want to have to go over there himself and run the risk of ruining all the progress he had made with Michonne.

Daryl seemed to stomp back to the vehicle, either out of tiredness or annoyance, or both, but Rick didn't have to wonder why for long since the other man wasted no time blurring out information once he was back in the passenger seat, "I told you, they were tying thangs up"

"Yeah? What happened?", Rick probed, his steely blue gaze almost glowing, "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah. They were just sitting there, she saw me and we spoke for a second… that's it"

Ricks eyes narrowed at him, "And the guy?"

"She said he was a friend", He shrugged as he opened the bag on his lap and peered inside, "He weren't doing much, just carried on talking when I walked off"

"...Right", Rick nodded as he sat back in his seat and peered at the restaurant once more, still not at ease with what he had seen. He knew he was getting a little ahead of himself because Michonne was a single young woman and able to see who she pleased, but that wouldn't stop him from taking out any possible competition, especially an ex. With his mind made up, he unfastened his seatbelt and got comfortable, "Is Sasha expecting you anytime soon?"

Daryl whipped his head to the side to stare at him, his eyes darting all over Rick as he tried to work out the meaning behind his question, and it didn't take him long to figure out his plan, "You gotta' be kidding me-"

"I just wanna' find out a little more about him. That's all", Rick insisted innocently, "He might be staying somewhere around here or somethan'..."

Daryl couldn't look anymore fed up, and just when Rick was sure that his friend would exit his vehicle again to walk home, he growled instead for a countless time, muttering something incoherent under his breath as he began rummaging in the bag again with a little more aggression. It wasn't often that Rick had them stake outside a restaurant where his love interest was sat with her ex, and he hoped Daryl would remember the countless times he allowed the other man to drag him into his disagreements with Sasha.

They sat staring out the windshield for some time, waiting for any sign of Michonne or her ex to leave, which did no favours for Rick's wild imagination. He wondered what they spoke about, and if Michonne still enjoyed the man's company. He wasn't even aware of how long their relationship lasted as he didn't ask, but he imagined it must have been quite some time for her to want to be so desperate to be single. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that he could relate to that feeling, and it was just as he was about to rethink the route he had taken to win Michonne's affections that the two emerged from the restaurant.

Rick pulled his seatbelt on and started the vehicle, all previous thoughts thrown aside as he breathed, "Alright, here we go".


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

"...And that's why I'd like to apologize for my behaviour the other night. It was… rude of me"

Michonne blinked at the superintendent that stood in front of her, "Uh, well thank you? But John, _I_ wasn't there-"

"I know you wasn't there but still", The tall man shifted from foot to foot, "I have to apologize because this is your home… and you're always very polite and you shouldn't have to worry about me coming over here, hollering like that"

She continued to stare at him with a blank expression, trying her best to figure out what had possessed him to come over so early in the morning to apologize to her, "Okay. Well, thank you John, I appreciate it"

John gave her a little nod as he began to back away, "Well, you have a good day. If you have any problems then give me a call"

"Will do", Michonne watched him walk away for a moment before closing the door, still unable to understand the need for his visit, but having just only woke up she was desperate to get back in her bed so she trudged back across the apartment to her room.

"Who was that?", Andre frowned, stepping out of the bathroom just as Michonne reached her door.

"John. He wanted to apologize for the other night", She explained, hand on the doorknob.

Andre smirked as she shuffled past in her pink slippers, "Good. Asshole"

"I'm going back to bed"

Saturday mornings were the only time that Michonne allowed herself to sleep through. Her Friday nights were usually spent at a bar or at a party so getting her rest was vital, and even though she hadn't done anything besides work on a few assignments the night before, she wouldn't break the tradition she had set.

However, her mother had other ideas, "We're on our way. We just stopped at a gas station- do you need anything? Is your fridge full? You know what- we'll stop at the grocers and get a few things-"

Michonne groaned into the phone as she hid under her sheets, "It's too early for this, mom"

"Nonsense. It's almost ten so it's time for you to get out of bed- Oh, I brought you some really nice pillows with a floral print on them-"

"Thank you, but can I please-"

"Oh, your father's coming back. We should be there in twenty minutes but we're going to find a grocer so make it an hour tops-"

"I want to go back to sleep", Michonne complained, her eyes clamped shut, "Just five more minutes"

"Michonne Denise Parker", Her mother's tone reeked of disappointment, "I cannot believe that you would want to waste a beautiful morning like this lying in bed- Did you go out last night? Are you hungover? Is that what it is?-"

"Oh my god", Michonne flung the sheets back and sat up straight, "I'm up"

"That's my girl. See you soon, honey!"

As soon as her mother hung up, Michonne flopped back down on the mattress face first, secretly wishing she hadn't come across so eager to have her parents down for the day.

She adored her both her parents, and while she had always been a self-proclaimed 'Daddy's Girl', she still shared a very special bond with her mother. She hated the fact that she didn't get to see them on a daily basis, and she did wish they were only a stone's throw away again, but she wanted to be able to lie in bed for the morning without being bothered.

However her mother had installed a fear in her that lead her to believe that the older woman was always watching her, so she hopped out of bed and forced herself to shower for the day, before using the little time she had free to pick her outfit for her dinner with Rick.

"Not that", Andrea shook her head at the dress Michonne held up, "That's too much"

She looked at her favourite black dress, then at her best friend who had sprawled across her bed, "Really?"

"Really", Andrea repeated firmly, "You're going to his house for dinner so you want something casual, still sexy, but casual"

Michonne spun around to look in her closet again, "Shorts?"

Andrea smirked, "Have you ever dry humped with shorts on before? Denim shorts? You could start a fire that way"

Michonne cackled at the joke, "I'm not planning on having sex with him again. We are just having dinner because he is a nice guy. And he's sweet… and he's hot. But that's it"

"So why does it look like you shaved your legs?", Her friend tipped her head towards her lean limbs, "You only do that when-"

"They needed shaving, okay?", Michonne began sifting through her clothes with a little more haste, "And besides, he has a son and I know he's the 'all or nothing' kind of guy and I don't want to dive into something that just…"

When she didn't finished her sentence Andrea narrowed her eyes at her back, "Just what?"

Michonne huffed as she stopped on a large, blue plaid button up, "...I don't know. I guess I'm just a little scared?"

"...Of?"

"Of… him", She confessed, turning around to face her friend, "...I don't think he's like Mike, at all… or anyone else"

Andrea stared at her with a blank expression for a short while, then rolled her eyes as she sat up, "God, I can't believe I'm saying this- but why don't you just... see how things go? Don't expect anything, just… if you want to see him again after tonight then do it. Stop trying to run away from him until he gives you a reason to do so"

Michonne's eyebrows sprung up in surprise at her friend's advice. Andrea never minced her words, which was something Michonne both loved and loathed about her, but still, she knew the feisty blonde had a heart of gold and only ever cared about her best interests. Michonne gave her a little smile, "Just see how things go"

Andrea nodded as she climbed off her bed, "Exactly. You're not signing yourself up for marriage or something so just have fun. I'm going to change before your mom gets here and yells at me"

Michonne knew she had to do the same, but she couldn't stop thinking about their little discussion, specifically Rick. She hadn't even admitted to herself that she was fearful of Rick, but it was the truth.

It wasn't that she thought he would harm her in anyway, nor did she think he had the potential to do so, but she was growing overwhelmed with his presence in her life and found herself unable to stop thinking about him at any given chance. It became even more apparent to her when she had spent the late afternoon with Mike on the previous day, as she could barely focus on anything her ex-boyfriend had to say, so instead she wondered what Rick was doing and if he was excited about their meal. She imagined he was, and she also had no problem believing that he had planned the perfect evening to romance her.

With thoughts of Rick pushed aside, she managed to get changed just in time, as he parents arrived at her home as promised, and as expected, they didn't come empty handed.

"Mom, we have food", Michonne sighed, watching her mother rearrange their refrigerator to make room for the many bags of groceries the bought, "You didn't need to-"

"Oh nonsense, I need to make sure you girls are eating properly. Too much junk food isn't good for you", Her mother muttered, removing items from the top shelf, "You barely have any vegetables in here. I had to do the same thing for your brother…"

Michonne's made an unpleasant face at the mention of her brother.

"Stop that", Her mother snapped, "If you keep making your face like that then it's gonna' get stuck that way"

She leant against the counter with a little huff, "So we were thinking about taking you guys to the-"

"What on earth is this?", Her mother frowned, inspecting the contents of an old food container, "This doesn't even look like food!"

Michonne shrugged, while Andrea held her hand up shamefully, "That's mine…"

Her mother eyed the blonde from beneath her side swept bangs, "When did you get this? How long has it been in there?"

It was Andrea's turn to shrug, "I… I don't even know?"

Her mother groaned as she headed straight towards the trash, "Remind me to pick up some containers while we're out, I'll make enough dinner to last you a few days at least"

Andrea grinned with excitement from her place on the countertop, while Michonne's eyes widened ever so slightly, "You didn't say you were staying for dinner?"

Her mother glanced at her as she made her way back over to the fridge, "Didn't I? Why? You girls have plans?"

"I don't have any plans at all", Andrea quickly informed while nudging Michonne with her foot, leading her mother to stop and look at them both with suspicion.

"I'm going out to dinner", Michonne explained, pleased her father wasn't around to hear the conversation, "With a friend. A male friend"

Her mother's dark brows sprung to life, "Don't let your father hear that, you only just broke up with Mike-"

"I know", Michonne lowered her voice, "I know...But he's just a guy I met in town-"

"What's his name? How old is he? What does he do? Is his mother around? Is he close with her?", The questions shot out her mother's mouth with ease as she placed both hands on her curvaceous figure.

Michonne knew exactly what to tell her mother to leave her comfortable with the idea of her dating, "He's a deputy, mom"

"Oh? A man of the law, huh? Well, that's… that's not too bad… But you better not be rushing into anything. You're young, too young to be having so many serious relationships under your belt. When I was your age-"

"Here we go", Michonne breathed, nudging a sniggering Andrea.

"I just let those boys chase me all day and night", Her mother clapped her hands together as she cackled, "I didn't give a damn about what any man had to say to me- I wanted to go out with my friends and have a good time! And if they were lucky then I might even look their way"

Michonne and Andrea watched with amused grins as her mother began to click her fingers in time with an imaginary beat, swinging her hips one way of the other.

"You may not believe it now but mama was the queen of the dance floor back in the day", Her mother chuckled, "Not one man could keep up with me, until-"

"I came around", Her father appeared at the front door, setting down his little tool box and beginning to click his fingers in time with his wife, "I had to show those boys how to handle a woman like this!"

Michonne's smile fell as she watched her father saunter over to his wife, "Oh god"

"First off, you have to let the beautiful lady take the lead", The man grinned, taking her mother by the hand, "And then you-"

"Why do they do this? Every time?", Michonne complained as she pouted to Andrea.

The blonde gave her a one sided shrug as she shook her head, "I've given up trying to understand. Come on, let's finish unpacking while they get it out their system"

Michonne did exactly that, manoeuvring around her dancing parents to get to the remaining groceries. She secretly found her parents public displays of affections sweet, and knowing that they were still so madly in love with each other filled her with delight, even if she didn't tell them that often.

The four of them proceeded to spend the day in town, browsing around stores and stopping for lunch at the Cafe`. Michonne couldn't ask for a better way to spend her time than with three of her favourite people and she hated the fact that that she had to sneak away to have dinner with Rick, but she couldn't bear the thought of cancelling her date, so armed in her favourite pair of light blue jeans and white stomach baring top, she left her family to enjoy their evening without her.

With her car running a lot smoother than previously, thanks to her father and his trusty little tool box, she set out to find Rick's home with the very detailed directions he had messaged her. She assumed that was because he didn't want her to get lost, and subsequently derail the second date that he had worked hard to get.

When she was certain she found the right house, she parked on the street directly in front of it, and took several deep, calming breaths before exiting her vehicle. She was greeted with a freshly cut lawn that lead to a very nice little home, much like the others, with white shutters and a matching door, surrounded by a rather grand porch. She looked around as she made her way up the steps and found the doorbell, still unable to fight the nerves that pricked her.

"Who's dat?!", A cheery little voice called from behind the door, leading Michonne to grin with excitement.

"Its Michonne", She called back, just as the door swung open and Rick appeared, holding the inquisitive toddler. She beamed at him, "Hey!"

Carl raised a pudgy hand and waved at her as he sang, " _Hell_ -o _o_ "

"I hope you don't mind…", Rick began with his deep, rich tone, "But he-"

"I don't mind", She insisted hurriedly, forcing herself to look at the boy's father and swiftly regretting doing so. Maybe it was the soft light coming from the sunset that made his eyes appear to glow, or the blue denim shirt he wore that complimented them, either way, Michonne felt helpless all of a sudden. She cleared her throat as she tucked a stray lock behind her ear, "Yeah, its fine"

Rick gave her a satisfies smile as he stepped aside, "Great, come in"

The smell of something sweet invaded Michonne's nostrils as she strolled into the hall, causing her to ask, "So what did you cook?"

"Well, I realised that I probably should have asked you what you like...", Rick admitted as he turned to face her after closing the door, "Because there's only a few thangs I know I can make perfectly, one of them being breakfast"

"We made biscuits", Carl informed, pointing down the hall towards the kitchen, "Daddy burned his hand…"

Michonne hung on every word that little boy spoke, "Oh no! Did he?"

"Yeah", Carl nodded enthusiastically, his dark brown hair bouncing on his head.

"its fine, I'm just glad he didn't repeat the word that I used when I did", Rick joked, adjusting the boy on his hip, "So breakfast for dinner is fine with you?"

"Perfect", Michonne replied, her gaze glued to Carl, "I don't mind at all"

"Great, so how about-"

"Do you wanna' see my tractor?", Carl asked, becoming to wriggle in his father's hands.

"Yeah I'd love to", Michonne grinned as she watched Rick set him down on the floor, "Where is it?"

"In here", Carl took hold of her thumb as he began to lead her towards the nearest door.

Michonne glanced at Rick before the toddler could lead her away, "Oh, did you want to-"

He released his bottom lip from between his teeth, no longer giving her a devilish grin as he nodded, "Go ahead, I need to check on a few thangs in the kitchen…"

Carl took her to a living area that also appeared to act as a play area also, as his toys took up one third of the room. She pretended to be amazed, "Wow! Are all these toys yours?"

"Yeah", Carl released her as he began the search for his prized possession.

Michonne removed her shoes before getting down on her knees to watch him, "I bet you have a lot of friends over to play with them?"

"Geri likes this", Carl picked up a set of cups and held it up to her.

"Geri? Is that a little friend of yours?"

"Yeah…", The toddler continued with his task, his bright blue eyes scanning over the sea of toys nearby, "I can't find it…"

"How about that?", Michonne asked, thinking she could see the tractor behind him so she pointed at the object, "Is that it?"

Carl spun around and gasped when he finally laid eyes on his toy, "Yeah!"

"See! You did find it"

He yanked the tractor free and he held it up proudly, "Look!"

"Wow! That's a great tractor! Did daddy get that for you?"

"Yeah", He smiled at her again, his eyes turning into little slits and his button nose wrinkling. Michonne couldn't think of the last time she had encountered anything as adorable as the small boy in front of her. She had always suspected that she had a strong maternal side but the need she felt to take care of Carl was unparalleled.

"...You found it then?", Rick's voice came from behind her, and he made no attempt to hide his amusement from his tone. He came near the two, crouching down beside her as Carl gave His father the tractor.

"Yeah, he did", Michonne replied faintly, still watching Carl as he began a new search for something else. She used his distraction as an opportunity to ask Rick quietly, "When you said his mo-… your ex, wasn't around, what did you mean?"

When she didn't get an immediate response she was forced to look at Rick, and for the first time in his company, she saw something that wasn't so polished. His jaw was clenched, she could tell. His eyes still on the toy in his hands but he didn't seem to be really looking at it, "She just left him. Woke up one day and she was gone"

Michonne tilted her head to catch his gaze, "You haven't heard anything from her since?"

He shook his head so quickly that Michonne would have missed if she blinked, "Nah. Nothing"

Without taking a chance to rethink what she was about to do, Michonne reached out her hand and placed it on his cheek, whether to offer him some kind of comfort or because she was dying to touch him, she didn't know. She just felt the urge to touch him and so she did, brushing her thumb over the soft skin on his cheek bone while he looked her dead in the eye, making no protest of her intrusion until she caught herself, and she pulled her hand away as if he had burned her.

Ricks eyes crawled up from her hand and to her face as he spoke, "Thank you"

Thankfully for Michonne something rang out from the kitchen, either a phone or a timer, she wasn't sure as she was too busy trying to find her way out of his eyes.

He slowly rose to his full length, "I'll get that"

"Yeah- sure, go ahead", She responded faintly as she resurfaced and forced her attention on the other person in the room. Carl had sat down with a bunch of tiny farm animal figures in front of him, content to play on his own. She huffed, shifting from her knees to her butt as she muttered, "Oh, boy."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

"Does he usually do that?"

Rick peered down at Michonne as he took a seat on the couch beside her, "Honestly, no. He doesn't even look that peaceful when he falls asleep on me. And he definitely doesn't fall asleep that easily either"

Michonne smiled, "He can sleep on me any time he wants"

Rick had to fight back a satisfied grin, even though Michonne had already caught him several times before, "I'm sure he'd be pleased to hear that"

"I'm sure you are too", She looked at him through narrowed eyes, "Don't think I haven't noticed what you were doing tonight, Rick"

His eyebrows sprung up in surprise, "I'm an innocent man"

"You are not", She ejected dryly.

He bit back that cursed grin, "I just wanted you to spend some time with us-"

"Is the front door locked?", She challenged.

Rick paused for only a brief moment, "It shouldn't be"

"So if I were to go and check… the door would be unlocked?"

He blinked at her, "It would be, I mean, unless the wind somehow managed to-"

"Rick!", She hissed, trying to appear angry with him but she failed her smile, "That's not funny!"

"I'm just joking!", He chuckled silently, "The doors unlocked… though I wish I thought of that earlier"

She shook her head in despair, "You aren't making this easy for me, Rick"

"Why would I want to do that?", His fingers found their way to one of her dreads that fell on the back of the couch cushion, "You didn't make it easy for me"

She looked at him with a frown, "What did I do?"

He smirked as he played with the lock of hair, "Exist"

A bashful smile spread across her face, "I'm sorry that my existence didn't make it easy for you"

"Don't be sorry… Just don't leave.", Rick knew he was laying it on thick, but he couldn't care less, "How about that?"

Michonne huffed as she peered at him through her mesmerising brown eyes, "...I did say that I'd help Carl find Mr Penguin"

He began to frown as his eyes scanned around the room, "I think Mr Penguin packed up and left because I can't find him anywhere"

Her giggle sounded like music to his ears, "He just came alive one day and decided to leave?"

"You'd be amazed how easily a toy can do that", His heart fluttered when she giggled again, his eyes glued back to her face, "You were great with him though. Has that always been the case?"

"I guess you can say so… I've always loved kids", She shrugged, "I don't want to brag but the feeling is usually mutual"

"I would have never have guessed", He issued sardonically.

She sighed as she rested her head back against the cushion, "I'm going to leave soon. I can't stay here all night…"

Rick did his best to keep his expression neutral, "Why not?"

Michonne parted her full lips to answer his question, but nothing came out, just as he expected. He knew he wasn't pulling out all the stops to get her attention with little reason. He could tell by the way she locked eyes with him and fought to look away that she was already paying attention to him. She finally tried to respond, "I just need to…"

Rick didn't break eye contact with her as he leaned over and silenced her with his lips. He had been eager to kiss her again after the last time, so to finally have her soft lips between his teeth again electrified him. He grabbed her thigh with one leg, her waist with the other, and pulled her atop of him in one swift movement. He growled against her lips, "You're not going anywhere, Michonne"

" _I know_ ", She breathed, already tugging the loose fitting shirt she wore off her body.

All of Rick's patience disappeared within a second. He suddenly couldn't wait to have all of her clothes on the ground, and so the task began of trying to strip themselves down, all while not breaking the feverish kiss they shared. It wasn't easy, and he almost suffered a painful blow to his throbbing balls but it was all worth it when he finally had her laying down before him in all her naked glory.

He leaned over her on one arm while using his free hand to tease her centre with his tip. The heat that radiated from her was all it took to entice him. He pushed in her entrance and almost cursed to the high heavens. Every inch of him was hugged by her. Her breathing deepened, her legs spreading to accommodate him further. She was ready to let him have her and he could think of nothing better.

"I've thought about being here again since the first time", He confessed as he shifted on to his forearms, His nose brushing against as he slowly began rocking his hips against her

Her arms laced around his shoulders as she whispered, "You're not the only one"

The tone of her voice swept through him, leading him to stroke her with more bold movements, never completely removing himself from her heat. He wouldn't dare do that. She felt too heavenly for him to exit.

The most sensual sounds rolled from her lips as she lost herself in the feel of him. He couldn't look anywhere else but her face; the way she bit her bottom lip between her teeth when he gave her his full length made him shudder. He sprinkled kisses on her chin, along her jaw and down to her neck, leading her to comb her fingers through his hair.

"Oh Rick…", She purred, her hips beginning to roll against his.

Rick involuntarily picked up the pace, spurred by her moans he surged into her, forcing a desperate cry from her. The sound of their skin slapping against each other increased. Each thrust was harder than the last, so she clung to him as she panted, eyes snapped shut. Even though he could see the effect he was having on her, it wasn't enough. He wanted to see her lose her mind.

"I got you", He rasped roughly in her ear as he scooped her off the couch, one arm around her torso and the other clasped behind her knee, "You alright?"

Michonne's head lulled forward, her forehead resting against his as she huffed, "Huh?"

He grinned as he picked up where he left off, ramming his member between her tight walls, and she gave him a long, breath cry in return. Rick could feel a familiar tingling in his groin begin to build but he did his best to ignore it. He wanted to see her break first.

When her head rolled back and she exposed her neck to him, he latched on, his teeth grazing the skin as he sucked and kissed her. This proved to be a sensitive spot for Michonne, because her fingers quickly gripped the hair at the back of his head, while she arched into him, pressing her swollen nipples against his chest. Ricks release taunted him in the distance.

"Ah fuck! Oh God, Rick!", Michonne began to pulse around him, her body tensing in his arms.

"That's it", He would have breathed a sigh of relief, but having Michonne choke his length while her passion coated him made his head spin, and soon enough his load shot out of him with the strength of a fire hose.

"Oh God, yes…", She panted as she rode out her orgasm.

"You liked that?", He questioned, looking at her from beneath heavy lids as he pumped himself to maximum sensitivity.

"Yes… yes… yes…"

His groin was soaked, and his hair stuck to his damp forehead, but it was worth it. Michonne hung from him like a rag doll, barely able to lift her head from his shoulder. He sat back down on the couch with her straddling him, his arms wrapped lazily around her waist, wondering what to say to her next without scarring her off again. He settled with, "...Do you feel better about this now? After tonight?"

Michonne tilted her head to face him, "Tonight was great"

Rick blinked at the wall in front of him, "Uh, so does that mean you… you liked this, right? I know I've come on a little strong but-"

She sniggered as she sat up and looked at him, "A little? I just had a date with you and Carl?"

He pouted at her, "I wanted to show you what your prize would be if you finally do choose to hook up with me"

She gave sweetest smile he had ever seen, "I don't think I can offer you anything as precious as Carl. I mean, Andrea's sweet and all-"

"I don't think so", Rick ejected flatly, "Quite the opposite actually"

She swatted him on the arm, "Hey! Be nice! You just have to get to know her"

"That's the second time you've hit me", He pointed out in a low tone as he squinted at her.

Michonne either didn't hear him, or she ignored him, either way she didn't respond to his point as she climbed off his lap, but she did slap her hand to her forehead and groan, "We didn't use anything, Rick"

He opened his mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut again. He didn't even take a moment to remember any kind of protection before diving between her legs. Guilt swept over him, "We can sort somethan' out tomorrow, right? Stop by the pharmacy?"

"It'll be closed, I'll have to wait until Monday", She huffed, rubbing her hands over her face.

"I'll come pick you up from work then? On your break?", He placed his hand on her lower back, "I won't send you over there alone... We can even go get lunch when we're done?"

She peered back at him from over her shoulder, her gaze crawling up and down his face for a short while before she turned back around with a small smile appearing, "Alright"

"Good", His eyes cascaded down her toned back, "So… Where do you think you're going?"

Michonne froze as he held up her shirt in front of her, possibly with the intention of putting it back on but Rick had other plans for her.

After suffering such a painful demise to his relationship with Lori, Rick didn't think he would be fortunate enough to meet someone else. He initially didn't even want to, but everything about Michonne absolutely enthralled him. He couldn't get enough of her, and he was sure Carl felt the same towards her too. His son seemed to love the attention that she lavished on him over dinner, and Michonne barely paid attention to anything else but the toddler. He was sure that he could watch the two of them interact all day if had the chance, and luckily for him, it seemed that he wouldn't have to wait long for the opportunity.

"What if he's not a morning person?"

Rick squinted at Michonne as he pulled on a t-shirt the next morning, "I can assure you that he generally is"

"But that's with you!", She hissed, sitting on his bed in her checked shirt and a pair of his sweatpants, "We only just got to know each other last night Rick, I don't want him to think I'm coming on too strong- what if he prefers to see me at certain times of the day?"

Rick peered down at her with narrowed eyes, "Michonne, he's _three_ years old-"

"Maybe I should just go", She insisted as she stood up with a huff, "I don't want him to-"

"Da-dee!", Carl's little voice sang from the next room, "Am hun-gree!"

Michonne eyes lit up and she looked towards the bedroom door, "He's awake…"

"I think you're putting a little too much thought into this", Rick started towards her, "He'll probably be glad to see you're still here-"

"Maybe you're right", Michonne easily agreed before he could say another word, making a dash towards the door, "I'll just help you make him breakfast… and I did tell him that I'd help him find Mr Penguin…"

Rick was slightly amazed to see how quickly she left the room in search of Carl. He smirked upon hearing her cooing when she found the toddler, "We got her"

Just as he thought, Carl was over the moon to discover Michonne was still in the home, and refused to leave her side while she freshened up in the bathroom, then quickly set about resuming the previous night's activities; bringing her every toy that he could find, as Rick busied himself in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"I'm gonna' get you!", Michonne chanted as she chased the toddler into the hallway on her hands and knees.

"Daddy! Help me!", Carl called as he made a poor attempt to run away, too busy giggling and looking back at her.

Rick laughed from the kitchen doorway, about to encourage his son to run faster when he saw tell shadows appear at the front door and his heart immediately sank.

"Where's my grandbaby?!", His mother called in a sweet voice as she stepped into the home, wearing a large smile and carrying a dish in her hands, only stopping when she noticed Michonne on the floor, "Oh! Why, hello! William _look_ , Rick has a _guest_!"

"Oh god, no… no… no", Rick muttered to himself as he crossed the threshold hurriedly.

"Hello", Michonne greeted in a cheery tone as she stood up with Carl.

"Well hello dear!", Ricks mother's eyes drank in the sight of her, from head to toe and all the way back up again, "I'm Susan, Ricks mother, and this is his father and my husband, William"

"Nice to meet you, dear", His father rasped with a top of his head, before zeroing in on Rick, "Get me some gloves, son. You have some weeds out front that need pullin'- you don't want that to get out of hand-"

"And what's your name, dear?", His mother took a few cautious steps towards Michonne, her smile now crazed.

"I'm Michonne", She adjusted Carl on her hip so she could hold out her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you both"

"Uh, dad, gloves are in the garage", Rick sprang into action, "Mom, you can put that plate in the kitchen… and wait there-"

"Here you go", His mother all but jabbed the dish into his abdomen, "Michonne, is it? Oh that is such a pretty name-"

"I'll be in the front", Rick's father announced as he started out the home again, leaving his son to handle his mother on his own.

"That's fine William", His mother waved a dismissive hand at him, "How about we all go take a seat so I can-"

"Mom, can you help me with somethan' in the kitchen?", Rick interrupted, "Please?"

His mother's eyes darted to him, "What is it?"

"Breakfast", He almost bit out.

"You can cook breakfast just fine-"

"Not today it seems", He pressed his hand against her back in a bid to get her to move, "Thank you, mom"

"I'll be with you in just a second Michonne", His mother promised, regretfully allowing her son to frog march her to the kitchen, "And you too, my little grandbaby!"

Rick couldn't have a bigger regret than not locking the front door from the night before. He was so immersed in finally having Michonne in his home that he had completely forgotten than his parents liked to turn up unannounced, and while his father was indifferent to his guest, his mother would care enough for the both of them.

"You need to leave-"

"Is that her?", His mother hissed, placing her hands at her sides, "That's the girl, isn't it? She stayed over last night, didn't she? She's wearing your pants- and I know they're yours because I remember stitching that hole up in the knee-"

"You need to leave", Rick repeated in a harsh whisper, "You can come back in the week and harass me for information then"

His mother's face fell blank as she stared at him for a moment, "Your father would be absolutely appalled to hear you talk to me that way"

He ran his hands over his face as he asked tiredly, "Can you please just-"

"She's in there with my grandson- which by the way, I'm glad to see because I did tell you that you want someone that accepts the fact that you have a child", His mother issued proudly, "So she's already looking good to me, and she's beautiful little thing… a little on the thin side but we can work with that-"

"We? Who is 'we'?"

His mother ignored him as she carried on, "She did jump up to greet us so she has manners- what does she do? And don't think for a minute that I forgot what Dale told me about the two of you out _drinking_ -"

"Mom. Please"

"Why won't you just let me-"

"Please. Just please.", Rick huffed as he pinched his nose bridge, "I know you have questions and you wanna' know everythan' and you want to take blood samples but right now is not the time so can you please… for the sake of my sanity… come back another time and we'll talk then"

His mother continued to watch him, her eyes trailing all over his face for a few more moments before she begrudgingly agreed, "Fine."

"Thank you", He blew a sigh of relief as he straightened up, "And take dad with you- tell him I'll get to the weeds today"

"Alright, alright", The small woman spun on her heel, about to leave the kitchen when she looked at the stove, "Turn that fire down, you'll burn the pancakes"

"I'll do it as soon as I get you out that door.", He nudged her to begin walking again.

"Richard Grimes-"

"I apologise and I'll get to it, but can you please-",

"And next time", His mother spun around with her pointer already raised as she warned in a low tone, "Take her out somewhere and get her home at a reasonable time. I know what goes on behind closed doors, and it's the reason why your father and I only had wedding pictures taken from the chest upward- all the fun that comes with having privacy can wait"

Rick squinted at the little women, "You were pregnant with Jeffery when you-"

"Hush!", His mother spun back around, "Now is not the time, Richard"

"You brought it up-", Rick paused when he heard the bell ring, and saw a figure by the door, "Who the hell is that now?"

"It can't be your father, he'd just walk in", His mother pointed out, slowing as she reached the living area.

"Go on and say goodbye- just goodbye. I'll get this", Rick instructed as he scooted around his mother, mumbling to himself, "This can't be happening to me"

Despite wishing for his parents, specifically his mother, to leave, Rick knew he would still be able to return things to the way they were once the older couple finally left, but he couldn't say the same for the man who stood on his front porch.

"Uh, hey", Patrick offered weakly, His hands shoved in his front pockets, "...Maggie said you'd might be in this morning so I thought I'd stop by and say hey… it's been a while-"

A primal grunt could be heard coming from Rick as his fist struck Patrick in the jaw, sending him stumbling backward and falling to the floor with a loud thud.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

"In spite of what you just witnessed, I would like for you to know that my son is really a very sensitive soul. I'm sure he's already shown you that he's very caring and he's an honest boy. Very loyal. He usually behaves himself but sometimes he can be a little too... passionate"

Michonne stared at the small, dark haired woman that sat in front of her. Dressed in a turquoise tunic dress with white pants, and her nails painted bright red, Rick's mother looked impeccable. Every curl on her head was swept back neatly, and she wore a pretty nude lipstick. Michonne would have been commented on how lovely she looked but she was still in shock, and confused, from catching the end of Rick's fist fight on his front porch. She glanced at Carl, who was unphased by his father's actions and decided his stuffed toys were far more interesting. Michonne blew out a breath, "...Can I just ask who that was? And why they were fighting?"

Ricks mother sighed as she clasped her hands together on her lap, "He was an old friend. Patrick is his name. He, Rick and Shane used to be a thick as thieves growing up… and when all that mess with her happened, we later found out that Patrick knew but failed to inform Rick… and like I told you, my son is loyal. He would have thought that that man would have at least told him what was going on behind his back"

Michonne narrowed her eyes at the woman as she tried to understand what the woman meant, "...When you say 'her', you mean… Carl's-"

"That's the one"

Michonne still struggled to understand what she meant, "Patrick knew that she was leaving him?"

"He knew that she was leaving with Shane", Susan clarified, and all of a sudden it all made sense to Michonne.

She sat up straight in shock, "I get it now"

"Yes, dear. And like I said, this isn't a usual occurrence for my son, unless he feels it's necessary. He's really quite gentle when you get to know him", Susan insisted sweetly, wearing a large smile on her face, "He's also very protective. Fiercely protective. He loves his family, and he's a hardworking man"

Michonne couldn't help but smile back at the woman's less than subtle advertisement, just as Carl approached her with a plate with plastic food on it, "Dis' is yours!"

"Oh thank you Carl! This looks delicious", She grinned, placing the plate on her lap, "I'm going to eat it all"

"Yummy yum!", Carl sang as he wandered back over to the rest of his toys.

"...I hope you don't mind me mentioning…", Susan began as she scooted forward in the recliner, "But you seem to be hitting it off with my grandson. Do you work with children or is that just a specialty of yours?"

Michonne all of a sudden felt nervous, "Um, well I actually work at the attorney office but I do usually get on great with kids-"

"Ah, so you're a natural", Susan clapped her hands together with satisfaction, "I could tell"

Michonne smiled as she looked towards the front of the house, "Thank you... but um, should we look for Rick?"

"Oh he's fine, his father is probably giving him a speech", Susan waved her hand dismissively towards the door as she got comfortable in her seat again, "Now tell me, what type of qualities does a beautiful young girl like yourself look for in a husband?"

Michonne nearly choked on air, "A _husband_?"

"Oh, my apologies- should I say a man in general?"

Before Michonne could think of a reason not to answer the question, the front door clicked open and an obviously annoyed Rick appeared followed by his father, who quickly announced, "Time for us to go Susan. I'm all done in the front"

Ricks mother's face fell, "Oh, you're done already?"

"Yep! Ran Patrick off, too" His father faced Michonne with a sigh as he sat his hands on the sides of his blue plaid shirt, "It was lovely to meet you, dear"

"You too", Michonne beamed, giving his parents a friendly parting wave as she watched Rick take a seat from the corner of her eye.

"We will continue this another time", Susan whispered as she rose from her own spot in the recliner, "Y'all enjoy your day!... Now, is my grandbaby gonna' give me a kiss goodbye?"

Carl immediately dropped the items he held and bolted over to his grandmother with open arms. Michonne found it adorable to watch the toddler be lavished with affection by both of his grandparents, but the tension radiating from Rick was hard to ignore, which is why she didn't waste any time questioning him as soon as his parents left his home, "I hope you don't mind but I asked your mom what all that was about?"

He sniffed as he glanced as his busy son, "Can I apologise first? For… what you might have saw... And for leaving you alone with my mother"

Michonne felt a small smile tug on the corner of her lips, "Your mother was fine. She was nice"

Rick didn't seem to believe her, "I especially apologise for my mother"

She smirked, but quickly returned to her serious tone, "So are you going to tell me?"

He ran his hands over his face, "I don't have any excuse for it. He's someone for me to take my anger out on. He knew about Carl's mother and my best friend and he didn't say anythan'... So I hate him for that"

Michonne gave him a sympathetic look, "...Well your mom said you were all best friends? I can understand why you're upset with him"

"We were all friends. He's Maggie's brother… the girl you saw me with when we first met"

She quickly pictured the brunette she had seen with Rick on their first encounter, "Ah… So how will she feel about-"

"She won't be surprised. I mean, we don't talk about him, we haven't done in a long time, but she knows how I feel about him. I won't even have to say it"

Michonne huffed as she scooted a little closer to him, "Maybe that wasn't the best way to show that you're upset with him. I get why you're angry and you're allowed to be, and even though he could have told you what he knew, it should have been one of the others that did it. They were the ones that did the real damage, Rick"

He didn't look at her, but she knew he was listening, "I know. But he's the only one around-"

"So he's the only one you can confront", She finished his sentence for him easily, "I do understand that"

Rick slowly inhaled as he finally made eye contact with her, "I was worried that I might have scared you off"

She shook her head at his admission, "You haven't scared me off"

"I also thought that if I hadn't, then my mother would have"

Michonne sat back in the couch as she laughed at him, "No, your mother didn't scare me off either"

"I begged my father to take her home when we were out there", Rick added tiredly as Carl brought him a stuffed toy giraffe to hold.

Hearing the word home triggered Michonne to look for a clock, and when she saw the time she huffed, "I'll probably have to leave right after breakfast..."

Ricks eyes darted to the clock on the wall, then back to her, "Yeah?... Right after?"

"I have class in the morning, then I have work- and I haven't studied once this weekend", She explained with a smile as Carl took a seat between them with his hands full of even more stuffed animals.

"I understand…", Something about Rick's tone told her that he didn't understand at all, "..I mean, you could leave a little later…"

Michonne continued to smile as she brushed Carl's hair away from his little, round face, "I know what you're doing Rick, and I'm afraid that won't work a second time"

He bit his lips together as he tried to suppress his laughter, "All I'm saying is, you could stay a while... Or you could go home and get your stuff… then come back"

Her eyes widened as she met his suggestive gaze. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised to hear Rick speak in such away since the man had showed her that he was impulsive when it came to matters of the heart, but she still couldn't help it, "...I thought we were taking things slow?"

His light eyebrows furrowed together to signal his confusion, "I never agreed to that"

She pursed her lips to stop herself from smiling, "Rick."

"Michonne?", He unfurrowed one his brows to raise it at her questioningly.

"If we are doing this…", She waved her finger between back and forth to signal the two of them, "Then we need to take things slow, that means you let me go home"

He gave her a small pout as he stood up, "Alright, fine. We'll have breakfast and you'll be free to go"

She lifted her head to narrow her eyes at him, "Stop making everything sound like a riddle"

"I'm not!", He insisted with his hands raised in surrender, too busy chuckling to remain serious.

Michonne watched him leave the room before returning her attentions back to Carl, who was doing his best to stack his toys on top of each other. She beamed down at him, "You won't mind if I go home, will you?"

Carl's big blue eyes rolled up to look at her, clearly paying no attention to the words that left her mouth as he spoke of something else, "I need the potty…"

Michonne quickly sat up with alert, "Oh! Well let's get you to the bathroom so you can use the-"

"Uh oh", The toddler declared with shock as he looked down at himself, "I'm peeing!"

Michonne hissed a curse word under her breath as she jumped off the couch and grabbed Carl by his torso, "Okay, okay… let's quickly get you to the bathroom-"

"All done!", Carl smiled, just as his little grey sweatpants darkened around the crotch area, "I did it!"

Michonne froze, holding the boy up in the air. His giggle was infectious and before she knew it, she was laughing too, "Alright, let's go clean you up…"

After explaining to Rick what had happened, she took the toddler up to the second floor of the home to clean him up and find him a new pair of pants to wear. Though there was no doubt in her mind that looking after a child was hard work, Michonne had decided that Carl was a joy to take care of. Seeing his face light up whenever he smiled or laughed instantly made her do the same. She simply adored him, and it was enough for her to reconsider having to leave the Grimes household so soon.

"Hey, sorry I haven't called you back. I just had breakfast with-"

"Finally!", Andrea hissed down the phone, "I've been trying to get a hold of you!"

Michonne closed the front door behind her as she stepped out onto the front porch with her cell phone, "What is it? Did something happen?"

"Uh, yeah! Your parents checked into a motel last night because it was too late to drive back your dad was interrogating me about where you were-"

"You didn't tell him did you?", Michonne's eyes began to bulge, "Please tell me you didn't-"

"I didn't!... well, yeah okay I kind of did but so did your mom! We both caved! The excuses we were coming up with sounded stupid-"

Michonne groaned as she fell to her knees, "Why would you-"

Andrea continued hurriedly, "It was an accident! You know how your dad gets! He kept saying 'Something doesn't add up? Where is she? Who's she with?'-"

"And what did you say?", Michonne snapped her eyes shut as covered her face with a free hand.

"We said you were out on a date and you'd be back later- like you said you would, but obviously there was a change of plan that you didn't inform me about", Her best friends tone changed from an apologetic one to a questioning one, "What happened to ' _It's just dinner and that's It_ ', huh?"

"It was meant to be just dinner!", Michonne confirmed in a harsh whisper, "But he had his son there and we were playing games-"

"So you were up playing games all night with a child?"

Michonne narrowed her eyes as if she could see her friend, "No, Andrea. I was not up all night playing with a child-"

"So you were up all night playing with _something else_?"

Her eyes popped open in horror, and she would have denied her friends accusations but she found herself laughing uncontrollably.

"I knew it!", Andrea responded gleefully, "I just knew it!"

"This isn't funny Andrea!", Michonne insisted through pearls of laughter, "You know how my dad gets when I start dating- And he's going to think that I'm 'sneaking around' behind his back..."

"...Because you technically are? I mean, I get why...He's a little crazy...But your mom said she'd call and check on you so he didn't have to."

Michonne fell to the side and sat on her butt, "They're probably still in town… I should go and see them before they leave…"

Andrea scoffed, "You're a braver girl than me"

Michonne released a deep sigh as she looked across the neighbourhood aimlessly, "...This is going to be a long day"

"Tell me about it".

Michonne knew her father wouldn't be happy to learn that she was dating again. He never liked the idea of her having a boyfriend period. They shared a strong father-daughter bond, and she knew that he would never think that any man was good enough for her, and the fact that she had only just broken up with Mike when her father had only just began to like him, she knew she had to tread lightly.

"Everythan' alright?", Rick enquire in a soft tone as he watched her step into his home.

"Yeah", She lied, closing the door behind her, "It's quiet? Where's Carl?"

Rick smirked as he tipped his head towards the lounge, "Right here"

Michonne crept towards him, intrigued to see what had the toddler so captivated that he didn't make a peep, and when she did lay eyes on him her heart melted for a countless time.

Carl was on the chocolate brown rug near the recliner, with arms and legs tucked under him and hit bottom in the air as he slept peacefully under the coffee table.

"That's a regular occurrence here", Rick whispered, "I don't know why, but he loves that spot. I've tried to move him a few times but it didn't end well for me so I just let him nap there"

Michonne placed a hand to her chest plate as she gawked at the toddler, "He's perfect"

Rick leaned on the nearby wall as he looked at her, "So… I guess you have to be heading out soon?"

She tried to tear her gaze away from Carl but failed, "Yeah… I need to go see my parents…"

"Oh? They're in town?"

"They are…", She made a poor attempt to nod her head, "So he doesn't hurt himself when he's getting up?"

Rick silently chuckled, "Nah, he's pretty careful… it took a painful lesson to teach him that"

Michonne smiled to herself as she dropped her gaze to the black and white polka dot socks she wore, "That's just the way it goes, right?"

"Yeah", Rick reached out and brushed a few of her dreads over her shoulder, and choosing to wrap his finger around one. He and Carl appeared to share a similar fascination with her hair, as neither missed an opportunity to touch it.

"I can call you tomorrow…", Michonne began weakly, feeling her cheeks begin to warm, "Before my lunch-"

Despite seeing Rick drop his hand to her waist and pull her towards him, Michonne still felt a fluttering sensation erupt in her stomach when he did. The tip of his nose brushed across her as he rasped in almost whisper, "I really don't want you to leave"

"...I know but I have to-", She should have known he wouldn't let her finish her sentence. His lips covered hers, and Michonne was sure she felt her core throb, her heart thud and her knees weaken, all at once. He held her tighter, locking her in place as he deepened the kiss, leaving her with little room to pull away.

Not that she wanted to. She couldn't think of anything worse in that moment then being freed from his embrace. She wanted to submerge herself in all that Rick Grimes could offer her so she melted into him, sliding her hands up his athletic chest and around his neck, encasing him just as much as he did her. This spurred him to lift her off the ground, one arm around her torso and the other gripping at her thigh.

As exciting as it was to be wrapped around him like a vine to a tree, Michonne begrudgingly snapped back to reality, "Rick, wait"

"The hell I will", He growled, taking her top lip between his again.

A shudder shot up her spine, encouraging her to let him kiss her once more before she pulled away again, "I have to go see my parents, remember?"

He exhaled through his nose as he finally listened to her, "Oh, yeah…Your parents..."

" _But_ …", She declared gently whilst dropping her gaze to his lips, which were bruised red from their feverish session, "...Maybe I could come back later?".


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"You punched my brother."

Rick shifted from one foot to the other as he looked at his friend, "I did."

Maggie shook her head with despair as she adjusted her hold on Carl, "You know I get it Rick. You're mad. You're _still_ mad."

"I'm not anymore", He shrugged, leaning against Maggie's truck, "I just wasn't expecting him to turn up at my door"

"He wanted to apologize-"

"I don't want an apology from him. I don't want anythan' from him at all", Rick insisted firmly, "He just needs to go back to wherever he was and stay there"

Maggie cocked her head to the side as if she were about to present him with a counter argument, but she appeared to digress, and turned her attention to Carl, "Are you hungry, buddy?"

The little boy nodded, "Yup."

"Well let's get you somethan' to eat then", She declared sweetly, beginning to head towards the diner.

Rick followed behind them, feeling as if he should say something else to his dear friend, "I don't mean to put you in an awkward position, Maggie"

"I already was", She sighed, glancing at him from over her shoulder, "You know that I understand why you feel the way that you do, but I just wish you'd hear him out. He just wants to clear something's up with you"

He didn't like that idea, but he still nodded as if it were something he's consider, "Yeah…"

Like most early afternoons on the weekend the diner was busy with customers, keeping the waitresses rushed off their feet as the darted from table to table. Maggie led the way as they navigated themselves through the eatery towards an empty booth by a window, greeting familiar faces they passed until she slowed down considerably and hissed back to Rick, "Look who's here!"

He began to frown as he looked past her to see who had caught her attention, when his eyes fell on a beautiful set of brown ones, though unlike any other time, these brown eyes seemed to communicate nothing short of panic.

Rick was struck with a bolt of remembrance as he thought back to Michonne's earlier words. She had said that she was going to see her parents, but he was unsure if he had heard her mention that she was bringing them to that specific place. He could admit that his hearing wasn't at its best whenever he had Michonne in his arms.

Judging by the way she looked in his direction, then back at the man that Rick assumed was her father, he could tell she didn't want him to approach her while she was with her parents. Rick found that odd, but he still proceeded to gently push a confused Maggie past their table and to the booth next to them.

"Her parents", Rick mouthed to his friend once they were seated, trying to discreetly glance at the other table once more.

Maggie's dark brows sprung to life as she mouthed back, "Oh!"

Carl scooted up to the window and pressed his mouth against the glass as he peered out to the parking lot. Rick would have usually discouraged the young boy from licking surfaces, but he was glad that he hadn't notice Michonne sitting only inches away from him.

"So…", Maggie began with a grin, "How are thangs?"

"Fine. Thangs are fine", He answered tightly, his eyes falling to the laminated menu in front of him, "Couldn't be better"

"Oh, I bet", She snickered, "So… when will I be babysitting?"

Ricks gaze slid up to meet hers as he met her with an unimpressed look.

That only made her snicker even more, "I'm just teasing!"

He rolled his eyes playfully as he smirked, "Yeah yeah"

"What do you want to eat, buddy?", Maggie asked Carl as she took hold of his little torso and turned him to face her, "Fries?"

Carl's eyes roamed around the diner as he made his decision, and unfortunately for Rick, it was just then that Michonne and her parents began exiting their booth. Rick could almost pinpoint the moment his son recognised his new favourite person, as his blue eyes widened excitedly as he cheered, "Daddy! Look!"

It seemed that was all it took for Michonne to acknowledge the boy, and truth be told Rick was glad to see that she couldn't, and wouldn't, ignore him. Her face lit up as she turned to see Carl, her locks swinging through the air, "Hey there!"

Carl quickly wiggled free from Maggie's hold and climbed over her with arms raised, leaving the brunette to mutter, "So this is what rejection feels like"

Michonne scooped Carl up in her arms and looked to her parents nervously, "Mom, Dad, this is Carl…"

The older woman appeared confused, but soon began to giggle as she placed a careful hand on Carl's back, "Well hello there, you little blue-eyed angel!"

"And that's his dad… Rick", Michonne continued, her eyes glued to her father, "A… friend of mine"

Her father still appeared confused but held out a hand to Rick, "Nice to meet you"

Rick took the man's hand and shook it, "You too, sir. And this is a friend of mine, Maggie"

"Hey there", Maggie chirped, watching the scene in front of her with wide, pensive eyes as she was greeted with a warm welcome from the trio.

"Oh, he is adorable!", Michonne's mother cooed as she adjusted her purse on her shoulder. Everything about the woman radiated warmth, a warmth that was familiar to Rick somehow. Her smile was almost identical to Michonne's, and she shared the same almond shaped eyes that were framed with dark lashes. She looked at Rick as she slapped a hand on her hip, "How old is he?"

Rick cleared his throat, "He's three"

"Just look at him Donald", Her mother nudged her husband with her elbow, "I can't wait until we have some grandkids"

Donalds eyes bulged as he appeared to choke in nothing. The man was portly, but seemed to have been in great shape at some stage of his life as his arms stretched the sleeves of his shirt. He shook his head as he responded to his wife, "Don't give her any ideas"

Michonne side-eyed her father as she smoothed Carl's hair away from his face, while her mother made a joke to Rick, "You might have to call the cops on me because I just want to take this little boy of yours and run away with him"

"Lucky that I am a cop then", He replied with a warm smile, causing the women to chuckle in surprise, but only for a brief moment, as her eyes soon narrowed in Rick's direction, then at her daughter, and finally at Carl.

"Oh Lord", The women breathed as she visibly grew tense but tried her best to compose herself, "Well, _Rick 'the cop'_ \- we need to get going- Uh, Michonne, we need to- it's time we left… traffic and all- it was nice meeting all of you!"

"It was", Donald agreed, appearing none the wiser as he gave a little parting wave, "Enjoy your afternoon"

Michonne blew out a breath as she handed Carl back to Maggie, "I'll see you soon, little guy"

Her mother began ushering her father away, giving Michonne a chance to throw her hands up with exasperation. Rick froze, his brows furrowing as he asked in a whisper, "What just happened?"

She barely looked in his direction before whispering back, "Nothing. We'll talk later. Bye Maggie"

"Bye", The brunette returned.

Rick watched Michonne skip away to catch up with her parents, his face still contorted with confusion as he replayed the moment in his head once again, repeating a little louder, "...What just happened?"

"It looked like her mom knew who you are", Maggie chimed, letting Carl sit on her lap as he slid his father's menu towards them, "You see the way she looked at you?"

Rick squinted at Maggie, "But why would she react like that?"

His friend shrugged, "I don't know… maybe she was just surprised?"

He sat back with a blank mind, unable to figure out what would make Michonne's mother rush to leave, and what he did wrong to make Michonne look at him the way she did. It hadn't even occurred to him that she may have even told her parents about him, as she was so reluctant to ignite anything between them in the first place.

With the waitress at their table, Rick was forced to put his questions away and focus on his lunch with his son and Maggie. The toddler went back to paying attention to Maggie with Michonne gone, sitting on her lap and playing with the cutlery, while she announced in a sing song voice, "So, guess who has a date next weekend?"

Rick raised a brow at her, "Who with?"

"This guy that came by the farm the other day, he wanted to buy daddy's old tractor for parts", She explained sweetly, "He seemed nice, daddy liked him-"

"Give me his details", Rick requested dryly, "I'll check him out"

Maggie's smile fell, "Fine."

Even though Rick hated Patrick, it was through his old friend that he even met Maggie, and while he considered her to be one of his closest friends, a part of him also saw her as a little sister that he would fight tooth and nail to protect, so he would use his position in the community to make sure that the men she got involved with were in deed 'nice men'.

They enjoyed their meal together before Maggie had to get back to her home to help her parents, leaving Rick and Carl to get on with their day. He really hoped that Michonne would return to his home later that evening, so he stopped by the grocery store to stock up on food for the night, and the morning. Just in case, of course.

"Cookies!", Carl exclaimed excitedly from within the shopping cart as they passed the sugary treats, "Da-dee!"

"I see them", Rick smirked, grabbing a bag of cookies from the shelf, "See? I got them"

"I wan' one?", Carl held the handle bar with one hand as he reached up for the bag with the other, "Peas?"

"Peas?", He chuckled, tilting his head at the toddler, "Do you mean 'Please?'"

"Peas?", His son repeated sweetly.

"You can have one on the ride home, okay?"

Carl began to frown, "I wan' one?"

Rick blew out a breath as he sensed a tantrum in the near future, "How about you hold onto the bag, then when get in the car I'll give you one, okay?"

His son didn't look to please with that response, and he was soon reaching for the bag again, "I wan' one, peas?"

"Oh, just give him the cookie now", Came a familiar voice from behind Rick, and soon enough Andrea appeared at his side, looking less than impressed, "One cookie won't hurt"

"Hey there", Rick forced a smile on his face, "Andrea"

"So, did you enjoy your sleepover?", She asked with a small grin, looking him from head to toe. Rick's smile quickly faded away, leading her to cackle evilly, "Of course you did. You got to have her all to yourself for a little while"

"All to myself?"

"You heard me", She snorted, her green eyes rolling over to Carls direction, "Cute kid by the way. He looks like a likeable version of you"

Rick narrowed his eyes at the backhanded compliment, "You have somethan' to say to me, Andrea?"

"I am so glad you asked", She snapped, "The roses, the chocolates, the wine, the sleepovers-"

"You have a problem with that?"

"My twenty-one year old best friend is way too young to be a stepmom", She hissed, tipping her head in Carls direction, "And I hope you remember that we like to go out and we like to have fun, so you can't be surprised when we want to do just that"

Rick was taken aback by her comments, but still managed to respond, "You think I'll stop Michonne from having fun?"

"I think you'll be the reason she feels like she can't have fun with me", She pointed out firmly, "In fact I think you'll be the reason she feels like she can't do a lot of things, so keep that in mind"

The blonde looked at Carl and gave him a warm smile before marching down the aisle with her basket on her arm, leaving Rick to mull over her words with uncertainty. He knew that Michonne liked to go out to bars and parties, but he had naively looked over the fact that it could be an issue the more they saw each other.

He could admit that he selfishly wished to spend as much time with her as he could, even more so now that he had seen how much she and Carl enjoyed each other's company. He liked to think that he could handle the matter rationally if it did ever pose a threat to their blossoming romance, so he dismissed Andrea's unfounded accusations.

Once he had completed all his errands he returned to his home with his son, and once he had put away all their purchases and provided Carl with a snack, he took a seat on the couch to call Michonne and swallowed all the anxiety he was still feeling from earlier.

"Hey", She greeted him in a slightly colder tone than usual, "Sorry about earlier"

"It's fine", He insisted, sitting up a little straight, "Is everythan' alright?"

"Yeah. Fine… I've just been doing some work… How's Carl?"

"He's doing alright", Rick replied, glancing in his son's direction.

"That's great"

He shifted uncomfortably, "So uh, earlier? What happened there?"

He heard her sigh, "It's nothing, it's just I had told my mom a little about you, just that you were a cop, and I guessed she worked out that it was you…"

Rick frowned at the wall in front of him, "Well why is that-"

"I didn't tell her that you had a son…"

"Oh.", His eyebrows sprung up, then back down, "...Why would-"

"It's a lot to explain but… my dad doesn't like the idea of me dating… I think he was glad that I my last relationship ended… my mom thinks I'm too young- both of my parents want me to just focus on college"

Rick slowly inhaled through his nose as he considered what she had said, "And what do you think?"

She took a moment to respond, "I think… we should just take this slow. Get to know each other more and just see how it goes"

Rick gave a slow, understanding nod to himself. He was glad to hear that she wasn't discouraged by her parent's wishes, though he couldn't help but think back to what Andrea had said "I can agree with that"

"You can?", She asked in sarcastic tone.

"I'll think I'll do anythan' you ask", He confessed with a smirk.

Her sigh told him that she was hiding a bashful smile, "Anything?"

"Anythan'."

"..So you'll be okay with me staying home to study-"

"Not that", He blurted out dryly, "You can come here and do all that"

"You said you'd do anythan' I asked!", She argued, sounding highly amused.

"I know I did but what I meant was-"

"What you meant was that you'd do anything I ask as long as you could still have your way with me"

Rick rolled his eyes shut as his mind was flooded with images from the previous night, "...Well, when you put it like that-"

"Daddy, look!", Carl called from his miniature dining table and chairs, "My juice"

Rick squinted at his sons table as he tried to figure out what his son was calling his attention to, and he quickly spotted the steady stream of orange liquid dripping to the floor below. He huffed, "Did you spill it?"

Carl nodded in reply as he continued to eat his sandwich, tipping his head to follow the trail of juice off the table.

"Alright", He huffed again as he stood up, "So... tonight?"

Michonne hummed as she thought, "Well it doesn't sound like I'd get much work done over there so why don't you let me finish up here and then I'll come over?"

He grinned to himself as he made his way to the kitchen to grab some paper towels, "That's fine with me".

Knowing that three of the most important people in Michonne's life could possibly be on the opposing side of their relationship made Rick think twice about brushing off his earlier thoughts. He was almost certain that the two of them could share something special together, and he hated to think that it could all be spoiled before it even started. She wanted to take things slow, so he would have to hold back on the declarations of love for the time being, until she felt they had progressed into something stable, and worth going against her family's wishes.

Luckily for Rick, by the time Michonne finally arrived at his home he had to wait his turn to speak to her, as Carl was over the moon to be reunited with his new friend, "You have dis' one"

Michonne happily took the stuffed toy animal from him as she sat on the floor next to the toddler, "Thank you, and which one will you have?"

"Um... dis' one", Carl reached for another toy and cuddled it to his chest.

"And which one are you going to give to daddy?"

Rick hated the way all his nerves stood to attention when he heard Michonne say 'daddy', but he was brought crashing back down to earth when his son peaked in his direction and shook his head, "None for daddy"

Michonne gasped, "Why not?"

"No", Carl repeated firmly, shuffling closer to her.

She looked up to Rick, who was leaning on the door frame watching the sweet but cutting display, then back at Carl, "Well will you give one to daddy for me? I'd like him to have one too? And I think he'll be a little upset if he doesn't have one"

The toddler didn't move for a moment, leaving Rick to wonder if his son had truly disowned him in favour of Michonne, but eventually he stood up and grabbed hold of a toy giraffe. He took his time to cross the room and hold it up to him, "Here daddy"

"Why thank you, buddy", Rick smiled as he took the toy from him, "I'm glad you decided to share with me"

Carl wasted no time running back to his seat beside Michonne, leaving her to mouth to him, "Sorry"

"It's alright", He chuckled lightly, "I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to make his preference clear... I'll just go check on dinner"

He could feel her gaze on him as he turned and left the room to get to the kitchen, feeling truly pleased that his son had taken such a liking to Michonne. As far as he was concerned, that reason alone was enough for him to believe that she was truly destined to fill the missing piece of their family, and in spite of what everyone else thought, she seemed to want to fill that place.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

"Is that a giraffe? A _toy_ giraffe?"

Michonne smiled as she held the soft toy to her chest, "It's Carls. He must have put it in there when I wasn't looking"

Andrea eyed her, her pale green eyes examining every inch of her best friend suspiciously, "So I take it you're going back over there tonight then?"

Michonne didn't need to look up at the blonde to know that she was silently judging her. She could tell by her tone, "I hadn't thought about it…"

"Oh please! You've been at his house for week's now- I don't even see you anymore!", Andrea snapped, her hand raised as she motioned wildly, "Oh, wait, I do see you when you sneak home to get a change of clothes or something-"

"I know I haven't been around as much...", Michonne offered gently as she put the giraffe back in her purse, "But tonight's study night! Remember? We get to hang out and eat… and read"

Andrea snorted as she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right… Until lover boy pops up with his adorable kid-"

"I already told Rick we're doing something. He knows", Michonne lied, watching her friend stalk back to her own desk, "He's fine perfectly fine with it"

Andrea made another snort when she sat down, "He better be fine with it"

Michonne sighed quietly as she turned back to her desk and began fussing with papers, realising that she did have to tell Rick that she planned to spend the upcoming weekend with her best friend, and hoping that he and Carl would take it well.

Ever since their first date at his home, she hadn't been able to stay away from either of them and Rick only made matters worse. She would head over to his house on a Friday night with the intention of staying for the evening but would often be there until the following Monday. He didn't want her to leave and most of the time she didn't want to leave either, and once Carl had caught sight of her she felt obligated to stay. It wasn't ideal, as she was falling behind in both her school work and her social life.

She knew that Andrea felt as if she was abandoning her. It was clear in the blonde's behaviour; while she often rolled her eyes and snorted when she wasn't impressed, Michonne had noticed that she was doing it more often than usual, and on the days she did finally return home the other women would often stay in her room without bothering to step out to see her. It was upsetting, but Michonne couldn't blame her. She couldn't blame anyone for how they viewed her new relationship.

As her mother had reminded her countless times, she was young and at a point in her life where she was exercising her independence, so having an older boyfriend with a child wasn't exactly something that matched her lifestyle, but she didn't care. Rick somehow managed to worm his way into her heart, and she was certain that she didn't like being away from him anymore than he did her. She knew felt even more strongly towards Carl, so while her best friend and her parents were rightfully wary about her choice in partner, she was confident that she was making the right decision. Not confident enough to tell her father as much as she had disclosed to her mother, but confident enough to acknowledge the fact that she was indeed dating someone.

"I know what will cheer you up", Michonne sang sweetly as she batted her eyelashes at Andrea from across the room, "Why don't we go shopping after work? Just the two of us…"

Andrea pursed her lips together as she tried not to smile, "...Well, maybe-"

"After I pick up Carl", Michonne hurriedly added, "...I get to pick him up today.. So straight after that"

Andrea no longer had to try not to smile, "Great."

"I just want to see him in his little class with his little chair and his little pen", She explained, "You know he's been getting so good at recognising numbers and letters- and Rick said it's because of me but I don't think so-"

"Alright already!", Andrea groaned, "You get the cute kid, we drop him with his dad and then we go. I need new shoes, anyway."

Michonne cringed as she realised that her friend hadn't completely understood what she meant, "...Well Rick doesn't get off until six so I'm going to have him for an hour… so…"

Andrea narrowed her eyes at her friend as let the news sink in, "You're babysitting his son, now?"

"I asked if I could pick him up one day", Michonne spoke diplomatically, "And he agreed so yes, technically I am, which I'm fine with because I want to do it…"

Her best friend through her hands up in the air before she started to rant something incomprehensible under her breath. In spite of what her friend thought, Michonne hadn't only asked Rick to collect the toddler from his day-care, but she pleaded with him to let her do so.

Naturally he had his reservations, as she hadn't even been left alone with Carl in his own home yet, but as it would only be for an hour, she wanted the chance to really lavish her attentions on him, so as soon as their work day came to an end she raced across town to collect the tyke.

Ignoring Andrea's huffs and tutt's, she climbed out of her car eagerly when they arrived outside the day-care. It was a small brightly coloured building with childlike doodles on all the windows and doors, which only made Michonne's heart flutter with excitement even more.

After passing a security check to get past the front desk, she was led by a very young girl towards one of the classrooms. The blonde haired, blue eyed girl didn't stop talking once she started, "He's been fine today, he even got to the bathroom on time all by himself. We gave him a gold star for that. He'll probably tell you all about it. And we got him to hold the pens properly- you know, so he has more control when he's trying to write"

"That's great because he loves to draw", Michonne chimed, eyeing the pictures that were plastered along the wall.

"He does. We're going to start on their names soon, so he'll be able to recognise it if he sees it- Here it is!", Beth chirped, stopping at a door that was covered in cut outs of the sun, "They probably just finished having snacks so he'll be washing up. You can go in and get him or I can-"

Michonne all but grabbed the door handle, "I'll get him"

Beth was right, as the first thing Michonne saw when she entered the room was a group of tiny tables with even smaller cutlery on them. Her heart swelled at the adorable scene; everything was like a miniature version of regular sized furniture. A few children mulled around the room while others raced towards the toys. She looked around excitedly, trying to catch sight of the toddler that had captured her heart, when a brunette appeared in front of her with a hand held out, "Hey, you must be Michonne?"

"I am", She replied as she shook the limb, "I'm here to get Carl?"

The woman quickly surveyed the room, "He is… right over there, washing his hands. You can get him, he knows where his stuff is"

"Okay", Michonne breathed as she found the boy in question. He was indeed washing his hands, rubbing them together furiously until he made a big lather of bubbles. She almost wept from adoration. Once she was able to snake her way around the miniature furniture and the equally miniature children, she snuck up behind him and grabbed hold of his torso as she questioned, "What are you doing?!"

Carl jumped more than she anticipated, "Ah!"

She giggled at his surprise as she crouched down, "Hey there! Are you okay?"

Carl finally began to smile, "Yeah… You scare-ded me"

"Did I? I'm sorry", She cooed, brushing his dark locks away from his face, "You know that daddy let me pick you up today? So we get to have some fun before I take you to Grandma and Grandpa's house- is that okay?"

Carl grinned at her as he clapped his hands together, "Okay!"

Michonne couldn't help but scoop him up in her arms, even with his still wet hands holding onto her very expensive jacket, "I'm happy to hear that"

She happily followed the little boy around the room as he collected his red jacket and blue backpack with a dinosaur embroidered on the front. Even though her heart sank when he insisted he could put the coat and bag on himself, but she jumped for joy when he let her adjust his straps so it sat on his shoulders properly.

Being able to tend to his needs on her own made her realise that she really did hope to be a mother someday. She always assumed that she would want children at some point in her life but something about Carl cemented that notion. She couldn't get over how sweet he was and almost everything he did made her heart sigh, so the idea of acting like some sort of motherly figure to him only felt natural.

"How's it going over there?", Rick rasped when she answered her phone, holding the device in one hand and Carl in the other as they stepped out of the building.

"Fine, I got him", She explained, stopping on the pavement when she realised something, "Hold on, I have to take my heels off"

"What?", Rick quizzed, "You're what off?"

"My heels", She huffed, tucking the phone between her head and shoulder as she pulled the stilettos off while able to balance Carl on her hip, "I don't want to fall when I'm carrying him"

"...Michonne, he can walk"

"I know that he can walk Rick, but he's been in there all day and he's probably exhausted", She rationed, hoping she wouldn't get a whole in her stockings in the short walk to the car, "His tiny little legs might be tired"

Rick didn't immediately respond to her claim, but she realised why when she heard him chuckle, "No wonder he loves you"

Michonne gasped as she turned her head away from Carl, "Do you think he loves me? Really? Don't just say that, Rick"

"I'm not just saying that. I'm sure that he does. He looks so unimpressed when it's just the two of us at home these days- You should see the way he runs to the door when the bell rings, and he only started doing that when you came around", Rick scoffed as he carried on, "He never used to care who was at the door. He wouldn't even look up when the doorbell rang"

Michonne peered adoringly at the toddler on her hip as she sighed, "Really? He does that?"

"Yeah, so I'm pretty sure that he loves you. And I'm sure he was happier to see you there than me", Rick smirked, and she could easily imagine him shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he did so.

Michonne had to compose herself, as she was sure she would cry out of sheer delight, "Well I'm going to take him with me to a few stores- I'm trying to get back in Andre's good books so we're going to do a little shopping before we study"

"That's one way to cheer someone up", He replied dryly.

Michonne rolled her eyes as she muttered, "It's the only way I can cheer her up"

"Well maybe I'll stop by and see how you're doing later? The graveyard shift if usually pretty quiet"

"What time do you finish?", She queried while she tried to reach for the handle to the back door.

"Around ten"

She finally caught the handle, "Alright, well just give me a call and-"

"I need to pee", Carl announced, his big blue eyes scanning Michonne's face with alert.

"Oh no", She breathed, her mind playing flashbacks of the times he previously said that to her, "Okay- um, let's take you back inside-"

"He's probably peeing right now", Rick informed flatly.

"I'm peeing!", Carl confirmed, raising his hands in the air as he smiled.

Michonne's shoulders slumped in defeat, "Yeah, you are"

Rick obviously tried to hide the fact that he found their situation amusing, but failed, "I'm sorry. Let me see if I can leave early-"

"No, it's fine. This isn't the first time he's done this to me", She sighed, feeling herself start to giggle too, "Probably won't be the last. I need to get him cleaned up"

"Yeah, go on. I'll call you when I'm my way out. Bye."

After she took the toddler back inside the Day-care to clean him and change his clothes, she was able to return to her car. She could of kicked herself when she realised that she didn't have a car seat for Carl, so instructed Andrea to sit in the back with the toddler while she drove as carefully as possible, "Is he okay?"

She peaked at Andrea in the backseat, who was eyeing Carl the same way that he was eyeing her; suspiciously. Her friend pursed her lips for a second, "I don't know what you want me to do with him. What am I meant to look out for? I mean- he's definitely _breathing_ "

Michonne nearly groaned, "Just make sure he looks happy"

Andrea took a deep breath before addressing the toddler, "Are you happy?"

Carl furrowed his dark little brows at her.

Andrea stared at him blankly, "...Do you want a cookie or something?"

Carls eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Yes, peas"

Andrea gave him a crooked smile, "Alright. You get a cookie and I get a new dress, then we'll all be happy"

It dawned on Michonne that she would be effectively trying to keep two people happy instead of one.

Looking after Carl turned out to be easier than she would have anticipated. Once she had purchased him a cookie the same size of his head, he didn't make a peep. He nibbled on the treat while perched on her hip, allowing her to shop for an outfit. It was while she was browsing around that she caught sight of herself in the mirror; her heels had been replaced with a pair of old tennis shoes she kept in her car, and she's removed her jacket so she could hold Carl properly. She didn't look far from her usual immaculate self, but there was a difference. She couldn't help but wonder if she was getting a glimpse into her future if things continued the way they did.

"Andrea! Come on!", Once they had arrived back at their apartment, Michonne stripped off her clothes and slipped into a pair of old sweat pants and off-white tank top. She gathered her huge law books together and began setting up their study area; snacks were spread across the table and stationary was in easy reach. Neither girl enjoyed studying so to make sure they stuck to it, she had to come prepared with heaps of junk food, "Andrea! Let's get started!"

"Okay, okay- I'm going to ask her, hold on", She heard Andrea say as she stepped out of her bedroom, holding her cell phone to her chest, "Hey, um, we need to talk"

Michonne leered at her friend as she took a handful of popcorn, "No, we need to study"

"You remember my friend Christopher, right? Well he's coming to town so I thought that it would be a great Idea if we met up with him…", Andrea explained, jumping on the couch excitedly, "Can we go get a drink with them, please?"

Michonne nearly choked on a piece of popcorn as she waved her hand to signal the surrounding area, "Uh, do you not see what's going on here? We're meant to study-"

"And we will! But... how about… we go get a few drinks, hang out, have fun, then tomorrow we spend the day studying? That's reasonable, right?", Andrea insisted as she bounced eagerly on her knees, "We won't even stay out late- please? Come on? Please?"

"No!", Michonne hissed, "That's not what we agreed- and besides, I'm so comfortable and looking after Carl was actually pretty tiring-"

Andrea snorted in disbelief, "That little guy was a breeze! All he did was eat! So cut it out, let's just go have a drink or six, then tomorrow morning you can tie me to this chair and force feed me pages from that stupid law book."

Michonne shot her friend a nasty side eye.

Andrea began to pout, "We haven't done anything like this is so long! You're always at your stalkers house and I never see you anymore!"

"He's not my stalker", Michonne corrected dryly.

"Please!", Andrea argued, tilting her head at her friend, "One night? Like old times? Before you abandoned me?"

It was clear that the blonde had already made up her mind and while they could both be stubborn at times, Michonne did want to spend time with her friend like they had always previously done. Michonne huffed and puffed as she thought with herself, "...Just one drink-"

"Yes! Get up, get dressed- Let's go!", Andrea cheered, jumping in the air excitedly, "Tonight we are getting wasted!"

After reluctantly fixing herself up, she looked nothing like the girl she had seen in that reflection at the store. She curled her locks up into a messy bun, and used her most prized nude lipstick. The dress she wore was the shiniest thing she owned to date; it stayed on with thin straps and skimmed her thighs, a flowing little number she found by accident. She paired it with a pair of white stiletto heels that she hadn't broken in yet, so they hurt from the moment she put them on but she knew once she started drinking she would forget the pain.

It hadn't been that long since she went out with Andrea but the moment they left their apartment, she was filled with a newfound excitement that she'd missed. She was free to do as she pleased, and the feeling was intoxicating.

From the moment they arrived at the bar she wasn't without a drink in her hand. Shot glasses, wine glasses, any type of glass was sent her way. Her cut off point came and she drank it away. The duo laughed wildly and danced around the other attendees as if no one was watching, and like previous nights that they had spent together Andrea reached the stage where she'd spontaneously cry over seemingly nothing, and it was Michonne's job to care for her.

"Andrea, can you stop this please?", She offered gently as she clung to her friends arm. They were sat at a dimly lit booth, not far from where the Juke box blasted music to drunken ears, and even above all that noise, Christopher belted out the lyrics. He was an eccentric man with frosted tips and wearing a see-through shirt and the brightest pair of pants that the world had ever seen. Michonne squinted as she tried to concentrate on Andrea and not her equally drunk male companion, "Why do you always do this?!"

"...I just feel like he's taking you from me…", Andrea sobbed as she began to slide under the table, "I'm not stupid- I saw it. I saw it the s-second he looked at you- and you… you traitor, you were all googly-eyed… I just knew that was It and now look- you're always with him and that adorable kid of his- I can't stand how cute he is!"

"Okay, can you get back up here please?!", Michonne pleaded, trying to pull her friend up but she was weak and drunk, too, "He's not taking me from you"

"He is!", Andrea protested, sitting in the small space between the table leg and the booth, "I don't want to lose you! He's Mr… Mr _fucking_ perfect and he's like… obsessed with you… and you get all weird when he's around and… I don't know where I fit in anymore- If you move in with him then-then where do I go? Y-you're not gonna' want me hanging around your house at Thanksgiving or Christmas while you guys have a bunch of k-kids..."

Michonne rested her head on the seat as she looked at the blonde, "Andrea, no one will ever take you… take you… take me from you, I wouldn't let that h-happen. And of course I want you hanging around at Christmas and Thanksgiving- you're my sister"

Andrea's face began to crumble, her pupils the size of dinner plates as she inspected her friends face for lies, "Really?"

"Really! I will always, always… always need you. And you'll need me and I'll be there. I'll make sure that I'm there and that will never change and- Oh my God, I'm gonna' throw up", Michonne slapped her hand over her mouth for a second as a nauseous feeling swept over her. She took several deep breaths before speaking again, "I'm o-okay"

"I threw up already", Andrea wept, her mascara streaking her cheeks, "In the men's bathroom"

Laughter burst from Michonne's lips as she reached out and petted her friends head, "I love you, okay?"

"And I love you!", Andrea also began petting her head, and even in Michonne's drunken haze she knew that they looked like complete fools, but luckily for them everyone's attentions were soon drawn to two burly men who started fighting near the juke box. Andrea screamed, "Oh my God!"

Michonne slipped under the table with her when she saw a glass fly through the air, "Oh my God!"

"Hold me!", Andrea demanded as she began sobbing again, "They're gonna' kill us!"

What started out as a fight between two men soon escalated into a full on bar fight, with patrons throwing punches at almost anyone. Michonne and Andrea screamed occasionally when something broke nearby, while simultaneously trying to look for the other two members of the group they came with. Michonne yelled over the noise, "Where's Christopher?! Christopher!"

"I'm here!", The brown male shouted back, his hand appearing from behind a tipped over table, "I tried to save my drink! Some ass-hole spilt it!"

It wasn't the time to laugh, but they all did heartily until the bar doors burst open and multiple voices yelled, "Everybody get down! Get down now! Stop!"

Andrea and Michonne dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their hands as they began crying again. She realised that she would regret letting the blonde talk her out of leaving their home in the morning, and she mostly hoped that she would have no recollection of the night either.

"You! Hands up, now! Get off of him!", One officer barked as he marched through the bar, "Get off, now!"

"I don't wanna' be on Cops", Andrea whimpered, "Look at my make-up!"

"Shhhh!", Michonne hushed, putting her hand on the frantic blonde's back, "Just be quiet-"

"Hey! Come out of there!", A man barked, knocking on the top of the table and causing the girls to yelp in surprise.

"No! Don't arrest us!", Andrea shot back, wiping her eyes with a napkin that she plucked from her cleavage, "We didn't do anything!"

"What the- hold on", A pair of black boots appeared by their heads and the person kneeled down, revealing himself to be Rick. His icy blue eyes darted back and forth as he frowned, "What are you-"

"They started fighting! We didn't do anything- you can't arrest us for this!", Andrea argued, waving her napkin around wildly, "We did nothing wrong so don't look at me like that!"

Rick snapped his eyes shut as he looked away from them, "Come on, both of you- get up"

Michonne's legs trembled as she crawled out from under the table. The confidence she had when she was sat down was long gone, and trying to stand in her drunken state felt like suicide mission. She clung to the seat, then the table, and finally she was able to rise up but on unsteady ankles.

Rick looked her from head to toe as he ran his tongue along his teeth, "Go wait outside"

"Oh, thank God", Andrea muttered, swaying side to side as she tried to reach for her friend, "Let's go"

"Wait", Michonne called softly to Rick. She was sure he was annoyed, something about his demeanour told her so, and she felt as if she needed to explain herself. He looked back at her, his hands on his sides as he waited for her to continue, and all she could think about was how handsome he looked in his uniform. She wasn't looking at her boyfriend, she was looking at Rick Grimes, one of the town's deputies, and it was oddly arousing and intimidating.

"Michonne?", He croaked a little sternly, snapping her out of her lucid thoughts.

Her lips parted, and what she thought were words that were racing up her throat since she was eager to plead her innocence, turned out to be vomit. Every drink she had ingested shot out of her with a vengeance and onto the tiled floor beneath them.

"Yeah...", Andrea sighed as she grabbed Michonne's locks and held them back from her face, "I guess you really do need me, huh?".


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

"So did you have fun with Michonne yesterday? I heard she picked you up from daycare?"

Rick took a seat on one of the steps that led to the second floor of his parents home. He didn't know what had possessed his son to play with his toys there but he wasn't going to argue because the boy looked so engrossed in what he was doing, and only gave him a brief answer, "Yeah".

Rick looked over his shoulder and down the hall, making sure that his mother was still out of earshot. He had left her in the kitchen preparing a feast for lunch while his father had busied himself in the attic, but Rick still felt the need to lower his voice when he asked his son, "So you like her, right?"

"Yeah", He chirped again, putting his prized tractor down on one step and reaching for another above it, "My farmer…"

When Michonne has suggested that she be the one to collect Carl from day-care, it wasn't all that surprising since he was sure that his son was part of the reason that she'd decided to date him. He had always wondered if he'd be lucky enough to find someone who cared for Carl as much as he did, and not only was he certain that he did, he was also certain that she was more interested in spending time with his son, rather than himself. Rick tilted his head as he tried to get his son's undivided attention, "...Do you think you love her?"

Carl frowned as he continued to do what he was doing, but still uttered, "Huh?"

"Love means you really, really, really like someone. They're your favourite person in the world. Do you love daddy?", Rick explained, and soon hated the way his son took his time to respond to the question, "This shouldn't be a hard answer, Carl?"

"..Yeah", His son eventually answered, "...Sometimes"

Rick's mouth fell agape, "Sometimes? So when do you love daddy?"

Carl began to smile as he stood on the same step that his father was perched on, "When we get pizza!"

A breathy chuckle of disbelief escaped Rick, "And when do you not love daddy?"

His son dropped his gaze to the little action figure he held, "Bedtime."

Rick realised that he should have known that, "Well I'm sorry but bedtime is non-negotiable. You have to sleep or else you won't grow up to be big and strong, and you won't get to drive a tractor"

It was clear that Carl couldn't be swayed by his argument since the boy climbed back up to his original step, "No bedtime."

Rick nearly groaned, "...So what about Michonne? You think you love her? Or really, really like her?"

"Yeah", Carl answered very easily.

"You love her all the time?", Rick narrowed his eyes at his son's back, "What about at bedtime?"

"Yeah"

Rick threw his hands up in disbelief, "So you love her at bedtime, but not me? You know there _isn't_ any difference, Carl. We're both trying to get you to do the same thang¬"

"We get pizza?", Carl spun around to look at his father with a curious expression, giving no indication that he heard anything that was said beforehand, "Peas?"

Rick blew out an exasperated breath, "You want pizza for dinner?"

Carl nodded excitedly as he repeated in a whisper, "Pizza.."

As Carl's father, Rick was inclined to think that there was nothing more adorable than his son, and at times it was difficult for him to deny his requests so he gave in, "Fine. Pizza for dinner."

His conversation with Carl was an intriguing one, but was blighted by the fact that he wasn't entirely sure what was happening between he and Michonne. A nagging little voice at in his mind would remind him that there were several factors that could blow up at any moment, the biggest factor being how her parents felt. Even though she'd assured him that she was happy with how things were going between them, it still bugged him. He also worried that she felt the need to sacrifice certain things she wanted to do in favour of being with him, and after finding her hiding under a table in the bar in town,he was sure that he was right.

He had taken her, Andrea and another male home the previous night, and she was nothing short of a drunken, emotional mess. The first problem was that she had somehow been able to keep only one shoe on in the short journey, but he was certain that it wasn't even the same shoe she had on when he first saw her. The second problem was hardly any material to the dress she wore and both straps had fallen off her shoulders, so he had to give her his windbreaker to wear to limit the chance of her flashing anyone. Her dreadlocks fallen to one side of her head and dark lines had streaked her cheeks. Rick assumed it was from her make-up. Andrea assured him that she'd take care of her so he could go back to work, but he was still completely taken aback by the whole scene that as soon as they had finished their meal at his parents home, he took his son with him across town, hoping to see if she was on the road to recovery.

"Uncle Daryl's house!", Carl cheered excitedly when he recognised the apartment block and bolted across the lawn.

Rick allowed him to run to his best friend's front door, "We're not going there, buddy"

Carl came to a rolling stop, and turned back to face his father, "Huh?"

"I said we're not going there, buddy. We're going to the house next door", He replied, but he could see that his son was having trouble working out what he meant. He picked Carl up when he was close enough and pointed to the opposite door, "Michonne lives here."

His son released a little gasp, "Really?"

Rick was struck with and idea, "She does, and you know what… why don't we play a little trick on her?"

Carl eyed his father suspiciously for a moment, but giggled when he put him right in front of Michonne's door and rung the doorbell. Rick swiftly stepped aside, so all she'd see was Carl stood there when she opened the door. A few moments went by before Rick heard the latch click open, and Carl threw his arms up as he cried, "Surprise!"

"Oh my God! Carl?!", Michonne searched frantically as she stepped up and scooped him into her arms, cradling him to her chest, "What- how- where is your¬"

Rick let her head his chuckle as he stepped forward, allowing her to see that he was there, "Hey."

Michonne looked as though she had just rolled out of bed; she was wearing a large t-shirt and polka dotted leggings, and her hair was tied up in what was probably meant to be a bun. She looked at him incredulously as she rocked Carl as if he was a baby, "That was _not_ funny, Rick!"

"You thought he came over here alone?", He snickered, leaning on the doorframe, "It would be pretty impressive if he did"

She shook her head at him as she turned back into her home, "Come on, Carl"

"Did I scare you?", Carl asked as he looked at the side of her face, his tone laced with concern.

"No it's okay, _you_ didn't do anything wrong", She insisted, strolling into the kitchen area while Rick closed the door behind them, "Do you want a cookie?"

Carl nodded excitedly as she sat him on the countertop. Rick joined them, placing a hand on the surface as he gave her the once over, "I'm glad to see you up"

"I couldn't stay in bed all day", She replied tiredly as she grabbed a jar from nearby. He continued to stare at her, and she reluctantly looked his way, "Look, I'm sorry that you had to see me like that last night. I mean, I can't remember that much but¬"

"You were sick everywhere, then you cried… then you were sick some more in the street… then you were crying some more", He informed, speaking in a dry, monotone, "I started to notice a theme"

She cringed as she handed Carl a cookie, "Please, don't remind me. I'm not even the one that cries, it's always Andrea that cries but for some reason I just¬"

"Is there a reason that you didn't tell me you were going to be in town last night?", He ejected a little weekly, unable to let another moment pass without voicing his worries.

She hesitated, "Well, no, not really- It was just a last minute thing. I thought that we were going to study but then Christopher was in town and we just got carried away"

Rick tore his gaze away from her as he asked, "...Alright"

"We're gedding' pizza", Carl announced before he took another bite out of his cookie.

"Really?", Michonne tipped her head to the side as she peered at him adoringly, "Do you know how much I love pizza?"

Carl tried to reply but didn't want to stop chewing, "Me...Too"

Michonne looked in Rick's direction, "So that's the plan for today? Eating pizza?"

"That's as exciting as it gets with us", He smirked, "You're welcome to join"

"I'd love to", She beamed, picking Carl up from the countertop, "Let me just get some stuff because I do actually need to study"

"Alright, give him here, I'm just gonna' check if Daryl's home", Rick informed, feeling obligated to pay a visit to Daryl and Sasha since he was nearby.

Seeing his girlfriend brush off the notion that she hadn't let him know her plans on purpose, did make Rick feel slightly better because he did believe her. He realized that she may have told him about her night if he hadn't stumbled across a scene anyway, so he felt silly for thinking otherwise. They left Michonne to ready herself and went across the hall,

"Oh, look who it is!", Sasha threw the cloth she was holding and immediately kneeled in front of Carl, "Hey there, my little ass¬"

"Please don't call him that", Rick deadpanned as he peered down at Sasha seriously.

"Fine", She rolled her eyes at him, "Hey there, Carl. What brings you around here? Are you going to tire Daryl out today?"

"Is uncle Daryl here?", Carl questioned, his eyes sailing behind the woman.

"He sure is, and I just bought some sweet treats that I know you'll love¬"

"Please, no more sugar", Rick deadpanned once again, "He just had a cookie."

Sasha raised an eyebrow at Rick, then looked back at Carl, "Your uncle Daryl's in the bathroom fixing something, why don't you go scare him?"

Carl giggled rather menacingly as he hurried around Sasha and into the apartment. Rick snickered proudly, "If that doesn't creep Daryl out then I don't know what will"

"So!", Sasha jumped up from her kneeling position at lightening speed and crossed her arms over her chest as she gave him a sly smile, "What really brings you over here? Because I haven't seen you for a while and I also don't see a certain neighbor of mine that much anymore, either"

Rick exhaled as his eyes traced her outline, "You always were the one for subtlety"

"Yeah yeah", She grinned, "So have you moved her in yet or¬"

"Goddammit! How'd you get in here?!", Daryl bellowed from somewhere in the home, leading Carl to cackle like a little maniac.

Rick sniggered, "He got him."

"I never doubted him", Sasha replied as she glanced back over her shoulder, "Well come on in, you've got a lot to tell me"

Rick was about to politely decline, but he had learned that Michonne can often take some time to get her things together, so he decided to go inside and was immediately hit with the smell of vanilla, "New candles?"

"They were only a dollar, can you believe it? I bought at least ten of them", She declared happily as she walked over to her kitchen area, "So I can't give my little ass kicker any cookie or¬"

"He was with his grandparents last night so I know that he probably ate his weight in sugar, and Michonne just gave him one", Rick perched on the arm of the couch, "So I think he's good for the month"

Sasha spun around with raised eyebrows, "So you were just over there?"

If there was one person that could make Rick feel uncomfortable enough to blush, then it was Sasha, "I feel like you already know a lot, so I don't think I need to tell you anymore¬"

"Hey, I'm on your side. I'm glad that you're keeping her busy over there because now we get some peace and quiet around here on the weekends", Sasha slapped a hand on her hip as she looked at him, "Do you know how many times we've had to help peel Andrea off the curb? Do you have any idea how _hard_ that is to do when she's crying?"

Rick fought back a smile, "I can imagine"

"It's a good thing", Sasha shrugged as she turned back around and completely her trip into the kitchen, "And now that you're not around, Daryl doesn't have anyone to blame when stuff gets broken around here"

He stared at the side of her face curiously, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I was wondering how lil' ass kicker got in here", Daryl rasped as he appeared from the hallway, carrying Carl on his back, "Nearly scared the shit outta' me"

"Language!", Sasha called, her back to the rest of them as she opened the fridge.

Daryl snarled at her, "I heard worse as kid"

"And it shows."

He snorted at his girlfriend as he made his way to the couch, then released Carl so he fell on the cushions, "You check on 'Chonne?"

"Uh, yeah", Rick admitted, "She's doing better"

Daryl sat next to Carl while he chortled roughly, "That was one hell of a fight. I'm telling you, If I weren't wearing that uniform then I would have¬"

"Lost your job.", Sasha finished for him, causing Rick to hide his chuckle with a cough. He had been around the couple long enough to know that they usually bickered, but something about Sasha's responses were a little more sharper than usual, and his observation was proved correct when Daryl looked at his girlfriend from over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.

Rick shifted uneasily in his seat, "...So uh, I got Monday off. Gonna' try and get some stuff down around the house so…"

"Yeah", Daryl grunted, as he faced Rick again, "I hear that."

If there was one thing that he didn't want to be a part of then it was sat in the middle of Sasha and Daryl when there was tension in the air, and unfortunately for him, Michonne took quite some time to emerge from her apartment. When she finally did, Rick plucked Carl from Daryl's back, then all but ran out of his friends home.

Rick couldn't stop beaming on the ride across town while he listened to Michonne and Carl's conversations. It filled him with so much warmth listening to the two of them talk that he almost forgot about his worries regarding his relationship with Michonne. He wished he hadn't remembered because it put a slight damper on his mood, and he couldn't continue to sit in the company of his two favorite people without getting some things off his chest.

"...He took all the toppings off", Michonne declared as she strolled into the kitchen holding Carls plate in her hand, "And ate them on their own. I'm not judging him or anything but I think we should start encouraging him to enjoy it as a whole"

Rick turned around to face her as he dried his hands, having just washed their own plates, "...It's nice to hear you say ' _we_ '..."

She smiled as she sat the green, dinosaur shaped plate on the counter, "I did, didn't I?"

He set aside the hand towel and leaned back on the surface, "...I wanna' talk to you about somethan'..."

She stilled. Her eyes dancing around his face, "What?"

"...What's happening here", His became a little dry, "...If you think that this is somethan' that you really want"

Michonne raised an eyebrow at him, then slowly inhaled as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Go on"

Rick narrowed his eyes at her when he detected a little attitude in her tone, "...I've just been thinking about...everythan'. What you said about your parents and a few thangs that I've noticed… It's made me wonder if I should have given you a little more time to feel thangs out. To decide if you really want to get involved with this."

"Is this about last night?", She asked a little coldly.

"...You could say that", He admitted, "I mean, I didn't like what I saw, and I didn't like that you could have been hurt… I wish you'd told me where you were so I could look out for you…"

"I told you that it was a last minute thing."

"I know you did. And It's not that I don't believe you or anythan'...It's just that I think there might have been another reason for that", His eyes were glued to hers as if he were silently pleading with her to completely debunk his claim.

She dropped her gaze for a second, "There's some truth in that. I was a little apprehensive about telling you that I was staying home with Andrea because I didn't want to upset you."

His light brows sprung to life, "You thought that would upset me?"

Her dark brows fell into a straight line, "Yes, Rick. Whenever I say that I need to stay home and do anything, you quickly let me know that whatever it is I need to do can be done here. No matter what it is. Every. Single. TIme."

Rick couldn't argue with that, "That may be true, but¬"

"There's no 'maybe' about it. It's true. And you know it."

"I can't recall right now", He retorted dryly, "But my point is, I feel like you shouldn't have to do that with me. I wouldn't have a problem with anythan' you'd wanna' do. Yeah, I can admit that I love having you here but I don't want you to feel as if you can't do somethan' because of me, and that's why I wanna' know if you think this is somethan' than you want. If you're having second thoughts…"

Rick was amazed to see her expression harden so quickly, "If I'm having second thoughts? If I'm having second thoughts?!"

He pushed off the counter, "Hold on a second, Michonne¬"

"No, you hold on, Rick!", She hissed, raising her pointer to his chest, "You have some nerve to be asking me that after you chased me- you _hounded_ me, you dangled Carl in front of me like some kind of consolation prize, and you _dragged_ me back to your cave kicking and screaming¬"

"You're embellishing a lot of that", He pointed out in a flat tone as he peeked down at the digit she pointed at him.

"I wish I was!", She placed her finger on his pecs as she whispered harshly to him, "You gave me no choice but to pay attention to you! And now- _now_ you're starting to have second thoughts about this?"

"I'm not having second thoughts about anythan', Michonne", He issued firmly, grabbing hold of her wrist so that he could tug her closer, "I just wanna' make sure that¬"

"Do you know how many loads of laundry I've done here? How many times I've cooked? How many times I've cleaned? Made your bed- made Carl's bed, put away his toys, washed the dishes¬ How many times I've been peed on?!"

He frowned at her, "Please tell me what any of that has to do with anythan'? And you make it sound as if I'm not here¬"

"I'm telling you this because I wouldn't do any of that If I didn't want to be here! Other than last night, have I done anything to suggest to you that I'm having second thoughts?! Because in case you haven't noticed, I'm doing more and more things to embed myself in your life, to embed myself in Carl's life¬", Her voice broke when he said his sons' name, and it dawned on Rick that he had read her reaction completely wrong. She threw her free hand in the air as she shrugged, her voice charged with emotion, "I love him and I love you, and yeah it does scare me a little because I didn't think I could love two people so much and so quickly, but I feel like I have my own little family- and I'm happy. I'm really, really happy. So no, Rick. I'm not having second thoughts, are you?"

Rick bowed his head in shame as he held her hand against his chest, "No. Not at all"

She sighed as she looked him over, "Good because I like whats happening here"

He raised his head to look at her, "And I love what's happening here"

"It's not a competition", She deadpanned.

"No, it's not. Because I won", He replied in a similar tone, causing her to give him one of her radiant smiles. He felt like a fool for doubting her, but the truth was that he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found the woman of his dreams. She was his definition of perfect, and her declaration of love for him and his son only made him determined not to lose her. He lowered his voice as he asked tenderly, "Marry me."

"No.", She didn't miss a beat, and Rick was almost offended at how easy it was for her to decline him, "We haven't even made it to the six-month mark, Rick, and you haven't even spent any time with my parents as my boyfriend¬"

"Get them on the phone. I'll tell them that I asked you to marry me right now."

A musical giggle erupted from her as he pulled her closer to him, "Stop that"

"I'm being serious. I want you to marry me", He insisted, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I'd marry you tonight if you'd ask me"

She groaned as she raised a hand to his jaw and brushed her thumb over his cheek, "I don't doubt that but it's too soon for that, Rick. You know it is."

He clenched his jaw as he thought about it, "Fine. But come this time next year, I wanna' be married to you"

She looked away from him for a little moment as she considered his proposal. When she did look back at him, she wore a little mischievous smile, "Deal."

"Yeah? You wanna' be married to me, too?"

"...Maybe", She grinned, her lush brown eyes glowing excitedly.

"I love you", Rick announced softly before biting his lip as he leaned in closer to her, about to capture her mouth with his when he heard the doorbell ring. He growled in annoyance, "Leave it"

"I gedd'it!", Carl called from somewhere in the living room.

"Oh my, God!", Michonne virtually shoved Rick away from herself as she flew out the room in a panic, "Don't worry about it, Carl! Daddy will get it!"

Rick exhaled tiredly as he followed behind her at a more relaxed pace, "Might be my parents. My mother probably sensed that I asked you to marry me and came running over here with dress ideas"

"My gran-ma?", Carl gasped as Michonne scooped him up in her arms, "Cookies!"

"No more cookies", Rick called back over his shoulder as he made his way towards the front door, "You're gonna' look like a cookie if you eat too many"

"And then I'd get to eat you!", Michonne nuzzled her face against Carl's as she pretended to nibble on him.

"No! Don't eat me! I'm not a cookie!", Carl chuckled like a maniac, "Daddy! Help!"

"You're on your own there, buddy", Rick snickered as he opened the door, expecting to see his parents on his front porch but instead it was Sasha, who was walking back and forth like a prowling tiger. Rick immediately became concerned as he sensed something was wrong, "Sasha? What happened?"

She stopped and looked at him, her gaze taking a moment to settle before she blurted out, "I'm sorry. I didn't know who else to come to and you seemed like the best person"

Rick stepped forward, "What is it? You hurt? Someone hurt you? Where's Daryl¬"

"I'm pregnant", She spat the information out so quickly that it sounded like one whole word. Rick's eyebrows sprung up so high that they almost touched his hairline, and before he could say anything else his friend's girlfriend burst into tears, " _Help_?".


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

"Thank you, Carl. I like this toy, it's the best", Sasha beamed at Carl as he handed her a toy picnic basket, "This really cheered me up"

"No crying… crying is for babies", Carl waved his little finger in the air as he waddled away from her.

Michonne had placed herself nearby Sasha. She knelt by the coffee table and looked at her with pity, "Are you scared? Is that what it is?"

Sasha nodded sadly as she played with a tissue in her hands, "I don't know what to do"

"...Talking to Daryl might be the first thang you do", Rick suggested tentatively as he stood by the couch, "You gotta' let him know."

"I know but I just can't stand him right now", Sasha confessed, "He just keeps leaving things out and he's so stubborn… even the way he breathes is starting to annoy me"

Michonne reached out and touched her knee, "That's okay, we've all been there"

"...You have?", Rick dropped his gaze to her.

She shot him a pointed look, "Not with you, Rick"

"Oh...Good.", He turned his attentions back to Sasha, who was staring at them both strangely.

"But Rick's right. You need to let Daryl know so you can let each other know just how you feel. You need to figure out how you both want to handle this", Michonne gave her knee a gentle squeeze.

"Daryl may not be much of a 'talker' but I know he cares about you a lot, and he won't wanna' see you upset like this", Rick added for good measure.

"And you're sure your pregnant?", Michonne quizzed her cautiously, "I've had a 'scare' before and I freaked out for nothing"

Rick peered down at Michonne again, "When?"

"Not. With. You. Rick.", Michonne bit the words out of her mouth.

"With that ex?", He crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to probe her.

She had disbelief written all over her face, "Really? You want to discuss this right _now_?"

"You brought it up"

"Because I'm trying to comfort her, Rick!", She accidentally squeezed Sasha's knee too hard as she hissed at her boyfriend, and Sasha jerked at the unnecessary pressure. Michonne gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry"

Sasha was looking at them strangely again, "It's okay, Daryl told me about the two of you."

Michonne tried to steer the conversation back to her, "I just mean did you check? And Double check? And triple check?"

"I took two", Sahsa admitted, "Both were positive"

Michonne cringed, "Okay so… you're probably definitely pregnant, and do you have any idea how long?"

"Nope."

Michonne looked up to Rick for help, and he cleared his throat, "Yeah, you definitely need to talk to him. You can figure out what you wanna' do about it from there"

Sasha groaned as she lowered her gaze to the ground, "You're right. You're both right… I just don't know how I'm going to do this…"

"Just sit him down and let him know what's going on", Rick suggested, "He might be just a shocked as you at first but¬"

"I need to pee!", Carl alerted them with wide eyes from across the room.

Rick hurried around the coffee table, "Alright, come on let's get you to the¬"

"I'm peeing!", Carl looked down at his pants as he held his toys up in the air.

Rick sighed as he picked his son up by his tiny torso and held him at arm's length, "Carl, you need to let somebody know way before you actually start peeing. You're not giving yourself enough time to get to the¬"

"I'm done!", Carl smiled at him as he swung his legs back and forth. Michonne and Sasha giggled quietly while Rick carried him out the room to change him.

"I'm sorry to just turn up like this by the way", Sasha offered as she tried to compose herself, "It's just… I needed to talk to someone¬"

"Don't apologize", Michonne insisted sternly, "You're always welcome here and at my place"

Sasha sniffed as she eyed Michonne a little suspiciously, "...I thought you lived over here now?"

"...No, I still live with Andrea… I just.. I", She shrugged when she couldn't figure out a way to explain their living situation, "Honestly… He won't let me leave."

Sasha cackled at her admission, "I knew it… It's cute. I'm happy for you both. Carl probably loves having you around"

"I hope he does because I love being around him. And Rick, too… Mostly Carl", Michonne joked and made the other woman laugh again.

She felt for Sasha, but luckily she had seen enough of Daryl to know that he loved about his girlfriend very much, so she was sure that he'd be attentive when he learned of her pregnancy. Rick was certain of that too, and Michonne trusted his judgment. Sasha sat around with them for a while longer before she plucked up the courage to return home. Rick saw her off after reassuring her once more that everything would be alright and Michonne found that sweet. It wasn't the first time she'd noticed him acting like a protective big brother to his friends and like many of his other qualities, she found it endearing.

"Let me take him upstairs", Rick offered when he strolled into the living area later that evening when he finished cleaning up after dinner, while Michonne got Carl ready for bed. At some point, after she dressed him, he fell asleep on her chest so she simply didn't move after that. She was stuck watching kids cartoons on the TV while Carl lightly snored.

"He's fine", She insisted in a whisper as she cradled him to her chest, "I don't want to disturb him"

Rick stared at her. That was his way of letting her know that he thought she'd said or done something ridiculous. He shook his head, "I can assure you that he won't wake up. I've vacuumed this whole room while he was sleeping under the coffee table before"

Michonne frowned as she looked up at him, "Why would you do _that_?"

"Because once Carl's asleep then he's out like a switch", He explained flatly, "So you don't actually have to whisper¬"

"Shhh!", She hushed as she shielded the toddler away from him.

"Oh my God", Rick muttered as he put his hands on his sides, "We can't keep doing this, Michonne."

"Rick, I don't mind him sleeping on me", She protested quietly, "I can just sleep here¬"

"He has a bed. A very nice bed. A bed that he should be sleeping in."

"Why don't we just let him sleep with us? He obviously likes sleeping beside someone¬"

"He also has no problem sleeping on his own… And I think I'm gonna' get used to doing that again sometime soon", He used his dry tone when he spoke, "He'll be fine in his bed. I promise you."

Michonne peered down at Carl's peaceful little face. She'd managed to put him in his favorite blue and green dinosaur pajamas which only made him look even more adorable than usual, and brushed his hair back when after she'd washed it, so she could see all of his tiny features. She sighed, "He's just so perfect."

"And so are you", Rick added tenderly, "Now may I?"

She reluctantly allowed him to scoop Carl from her arms, "Make sure that his the giraffe is in the¬"

"I know, I know", Rick muttered as he started for the door, "I do actually look after him when you're not here"

Michonne scoffed, "When am I not here? When do you let me go home?"

Rick muttered something else but she didn't hear him, but as soon as he was out of earshot she laughed to herself. She was deliriously happy in their relationship and their conversation that afternoon cemented that. The pace at which they were moving was a little fast and she intended to get a hold of that, but otherwise, she didn't want anything else to change. She wanted he and his son in her life and was over the moon to know that the feeling was mutual.

"Hi, mom", She chirped as she answered her cell phone.

"Hey, honey", Her mother greeted back, "I need your measurements for a dress"

Michonne was retrieving her books from her backpack but froze when she heard her mother's request, "My _what_ for a _what_?"

"Your measurements for a dress. I found this lovely fabric at the store today so I said I'd make you and Andrea some nice dresses for the summer"

Michonne was still on pause, "That's very nice of you mom, but what kind of fabric are we talking about?"

"It's white with some lovely pink flowers on it"

She cringed when she tried to picture it. Rick strolled back into the room and she immediately pointed to her device so he knew not to say anything, "Mom, you really don't have to make me and Andrea matching dresses anymore"

"I know I don't but I think it would be cute. Like when you were little."

"We're in our twenties now so that would be a little weird", Michonne spoke in a sing-song voice, just as Rick took a seat beside her with a huff, causing her eyes to widen at him.

"...Did I just hear a man breath?"

Michonne rolled her eyes shut, "...I'm actually not alone right now, mom¬"

"Is that who I think it is? Is that the cop? Are you with the cop, Michonne? Let me talk to him¬ I'd like to say hello. Let me say hello¬"

"I don't think that you need to", Michonne groaned as she ran her hand over her face, "Maybe another time¬"

"Michonne Denise Parker¬"

Michonne groaned again as she covered the receiver and looked at Rick, who was watching her with curious eyes. She whispered to him, "My mother would like to say hello."

He sat up a little straighter, "Yeah?"

She sighed deeply as she handed him the phone, "Yeah."

Even though Rick had the ability to articulate himself perfectly and was most likely trained to understand the art of interrogation, she still put her head against his so that she could listen to their conversation. Rick spoke first, "Good Evening, Ma'am, it's nice to speak to you again"

" _Well good evening to you too, Officer_ ", Her mother sounded slightly impressed.

"Please, call me Rick"

" _Then you can call me Genie because I am not old enough to be called 'ma'am' yet_ "

Rick smirked, "That's no problem all"

" _And how is that darling little boy of yours_?"

"He's doing just fine, thank for asking"

" _It's my pleasure...Now, I'm interested to know about you, Rick. I understand that you've been taking my daughter out recently_?"

"I have done.", Rick replied casually, "And I hope to continue to do so"

" _How nice to hear that. So where do you plan on taking her this evening_?"

Michonne wasn't ready to let her mother know that she was virtually living with Rick and his son, so she looked at Rick and began moving her hand to her mouth. He frowned as he said, "To eat... Uh, this nice little restaurant in town. Italian."

She placed her head back against his and listened to her mother's reply, " _Italian_? _Very nice. Well as a man of the law, I trust that you'll have her home at a reasonable time. Knowing my daughter, I know you most likely won't... but I'd appreciate it if you humored me_ "

"You can certainly trust me", He replied diplomatically, "And I think I'm getting a little too old to stay out all night"

" _If you're old then I'm older, and that offends me_ "

They both chuckled at her joke, but Michonne was too tense to see the humor. Her mother could still blindside him with an inappropriate question at any time so she stayed vigilant. Rick playfully apologized, "I'm sorry about that. You certainly don't look older"

" _Thank you. I try my best_ …", Her mother made a delighted sigh, " _So how long have you been seeing Michonne for now? I know it's more than a few weeks because it's been a while since we first met that time at the diner_ …"

"...I think it's been…", Rick looked at Michonne when she started waving her hands at him, "I'm actually not quite…"

Michonne shook her head and held up two fingers.

"...Two months?", He frowned at her but she ignored him and stuck her head back against the phone.

" _Rick, I would also appreciate it if you answered me honestly and ignored whatever information my daughter is feeding you_ ", Her mother replied bluntly, " _But I can tell that might be difficult for you so why don't we all have dinner the next time my husband and I are in town? We were planning on stopping by unannounced next weekend so let's set a date_."

Michonne let her head fall back and left Rick to finish his conversation, "That sounds like a good idea to me… Yeah… Yeah, that's fine… And it was nice speaking with you too, I'll hand you back to Michonne"

Michonne rolled her head forward and took her cell phone from Rick. She huffed, "So I'll call you tomorrow, mom"

"You certainly will", Her mother chimed, "And stop breathing so hard. You act like I'm intruding or something"

Michonne used a sarcastic tone to respond, "No, of course, you aren't. That's something you never, ever do¬"

"Goodnight Michonne. Have fun… But not too much fun."

"Goodnight, mom", She hung up the call and chucked her cell phone on the other side of the couch before she faced Rick, "We need to practice hand signals because my message was clear"

"It was far from clear", He shook his head slowly as he looked her up and down, "Why would you want to lie about how long we've been together?"

"Because then she'd start to ask even more questions", Michonne felt as if the answer was obvious, "If you think your mom is bad¬"

"My mother asked you what you look for in a husband the first time she met you, Michonne. Unless your mom starts measuring me for a tux during in dinner, I don't think anything can top that"

She tried to hide her amusement, "Stop."

"You know it's true. My mother can set the bar high when it comes to outrageous behavior", He placed his hand on her lap and stroked her thigh with his thumb, "Sounds like your mom might be a close second though"

"It's a tie", She blew out a breath as she sat back on the couch and laid her head on the cushion, "My dad is too."

He gazed at her with adoring eyes, "If you're trying to scare me off then it's not working."

She blushed, "Well it's a good thing that I'm not"

He seemed hesitant for a few moments before he finally said, "You know… I wanted to tell you earlier that I really don't want you to feel like you can't go out with your friends because of me. I want you to have fun, Michonne but I want you to be safe too."

Michonne felt embarrassed when she remembered throwing up everywhere the night before, "I know. I guess I was more excited to go to a bar than I thought"

"So if you want to do that then do it. You don't have to be cooped up in here with us¬"

"I don't feel _cooped up_ in here with you guys", She gently stressed, "I never have."

Rick appeared to accept that, "Yeah?"

"Yes", She placed her hand on top of his and their fingers intertwined, "I promise."

He leaned towards her and caught her lips with a sweet little kiss that made her stomach flutter, then whispered in his husky tone, "I think I fell in love with you the minute I saw you"

"Really? Down to the minute?", She reached up and raked her fingers through his hair as she teased him.

"Down to the second.", He was about to lean in to kiss her again when her phone chimed to indicate an incoming call, "Leave it"

"Let me just see who it is", Rick kept kissing her cheek and neck while she reached for the device, and she would have thrown it to one side again but it was Andrea, so she felt obliged to answer, "Hey, everything alright?"

"No!", Andrea squawked loud enough for Rick to hear, and he immediately pulled away from Michonne, "The powers out!"

Michonne perked up, "The powers out? What, everywhere or just at home?"

"Just us. I gave the company a call and they said they can send someone out tomorrow", Andrea sounded distressed, "I have work to do and I hate being here alone so can you come home please?"

Michonne paused as she thought about the request; going home meant leaving Rick and Carl, and she didn't actually want to do that, but at the same time she didn't want to leave Andrea on her own in the dark, either. She nibbled her lip for a moment, then suggested, "...Have you thought about going to a hotel?"

"Yeah I did and I decided that I didn't want to do that. Are you seriously looking for an excuse not to come home? If this was vice versa I would drop the penis and run to you¬"

"I know you would, Andrea. Just hold on a sec", Michonne lowered her cell phone and looked at her uninterested boyfriend, "...Rick… The powers out at my apartment"

"Oh?", He scooted forward and grabbed the remote from the coffee table, "Did she call someone?"

"She did. They can't come out 'till tomorrow."

Rick slowly nodded as he sat back again, "So what's the problem?"

"She doesn't want to be alone, Rick."

That caught his attention. He looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Oh?"

"She wants me to come home", No sooner had she said the words did Rick appear disappointed, so she quickly suggested, "What about... _if._.. she _maybe_ stays here… for the night?"

His expression changed drastically, "Here? In this house?"

"Just for the night?", Michonne tried to give him a sweet smile but she looked more pained instead.

Rick turned away from her. He stared at the opposite wall for a few seconds, then stood up in a haste, "Tell Andrea that' I'll be over there in a few minutes. I'll see if I can fix the problem".


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

"There ain't nothin' we can do. They got this thang that they use to get it back on...Some little machine or somethan'..."

In spite of his friend's advice, Rick continued to eye the fuse box in his girlfriends home, "...Ain't there like a main circuit or somethan' like that somewhere?"

"There is but we can't get to it. Gotta' talk to the super about that", Daryl yawned, but continued to direct the flashlight at the box, "Nothin' we can do about it"

Rick lowered his gaze as he thought, "...Is it locked away?"

"Yeah."

"...What kind of lock?"

Daryls eyes slid over to him, "..You tryna' break in there?"

Rick tilted his head ever so slightly, "...Not break in but if it's a simple lock then¬"

"You've been doing this for an hour now", Andrea declared tiredly from the couch as she held her own flashlight over a magazine, "Give. Up."

Rick couldn't understand how someone's voice could evoke such a negative reaction from him. He slowly inhaled and ignored her comment, "...You don't have any backup generators?"

"This ain't no hospital, man", Daryl retarded dryly, "You just gotta' wait for 'em"

"Great. Just great.", Rick groaned as he ran his hand over his face, "...You think Sasha' can give her some candles?"

Daryl snickered, "She probably could. She has a whole closet full of 'em"

"I'll come over there and get 'em myself¬"

"So!", Andrea wiped her flashlight around to look at the two men, specifically Rick, "Are you done?"

Rick tried not to groan a second time as he slammed the fuze box closed.

"Thanks for coming over Dixon", She offered politely.

"No problem", Daryl yawned again as he opened the front door. It was nice of him to try to help Rick, and the fact that he seemed to be in a relaxed mood let Rick know that Sasha probably hadn't told him about the pregnancy. Rick wasn't going to pry or give him any hint that he knew because he couldn't take that opportunity away from Sasha, especially with knowing just as how distraught she was. The only thing he could do was be there for either of them when the news finally hit the surface.

He finally faced Andrea when Daryl had left the home, and he put his hands on his sides when he said, "...Sorry I couldn't get it working, but If you need to get to a motel or somethan' then I don't mind dropping you off"

Andrea blinked at him, "I'm fine staying here, and I'll feel even better when my best friend comes home."

He clenched his jaw for a brief moment, "...Or, I can set you up with some candles¬"

"I'm. _Fine_.", Andrea insisted sourly.

Rick could feel the tension building in his neck. All he wanted was to cuddle up with Michonne on his couch for a peaceful evening. He would help her study, or at least try to help her study, then they would find a movie to watch together. The evening would come to an end in his bed, and then she'd come to end on his face. Andrea was to have no involvement with any of his plans.

"So… Thanks", She announced dryly as she stood up, "You really went to great lengths to keep my best friend away from me but sadly, you failed."

Rick snapped his eyes shut as he prepared to make an offer that he really didn't want to make, "...Michonne suggested that you come over. To my house. For the night."

Andrea raised one of her light brows at him, "No thank you."

"...I insist", He lied, squeezing the words through gritted teeth, "Even if she comes back here, you still won't have any power so it makes...sense… for you to stay in… my home"

"God, I can see that vein in your forehead from here", She looked as though she wanted to smirk, "Don't give yourself an aneurysm on my behalf."

Rickrolled one of his shoulders back to ease the tension in his muscles, "...Look, Michonne is already comfortable and I don't think she likes the idea of leaving without saying goodbye to Carl properly so why don't we both make this easier for her?"

Andrea crossed her lean arms over her chest as she squinted at him, "I don't want to stay in your house just as much as you don't want me there"

"It's one night, and only one night"

Andrea continued to squint at him, "You know that she already said that I'll be there at Thanksgiving?"

He blinked at her, "Come again?"

"And Christmas. I'll be there, and you have to deal with it"

"What are you…", Rick had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn't care to investigate, "Anyway, why don't you just take her offer? Because right now you're just putting her in a difficult position"

"I'm putting her in a difficult position?", The blonde's eyes almost bulged, "You came over here so she couldn't leave your place"

"I did", He shamelessly admitted, "And I was hoping I could fix the problem or you'd at least volunteer to stay in a motel or somethan' but neither of thangs are happening so how about the two of us just shut up and make this easier for her?"

Andrea glared at him for quite some time before she finally said, "God, you're _so_ old"

Rick didn't consider himself to be much of religious man, but he found himself praying that he wouldn't have many encounters with Andrea in the future. He understood that she was Michonne's best friend and that his girlfriend cared for her dearly but that didn't stop him from hoping that Andrea would fade into obscurity one day. He couldn't bear the thought of having to see her again for the rest of his life.

He waited for her in his truck while she packed a bag for the night. She took almost thirty minutes to appear, and Rick had to picture Michonne in his mind to stop himself from leaving without her.

"I think you and I need to come to some kind of truce", He announced calmly when they were finally on the way back to his home, "I get that you and Michonne have been friends for a while and¬"

"A while?", Andrea blurted out from the passenger seat, "Try sixteen years."

Rick held onto the steering wheel a little tighter, "...Fine. You've been friends for a long time and I respect that¬"

"You have to respect that. You haven't been in the picture long enough to have an opinion."

He sighed deeply, "That's fair. I'll take that¬ But if that's the way you're looking at this then it's too early for you to think that you have a negative opinion about me"

Andrea's head slowly turned around to look at him, "You harassed her."

"I harassed her?"

"She said she wasn't ready to start dating again and you started showering her with gifts and dangling your cute kid in front of her until she said yes", Andrea started glaring at him again, "And now I don't get to see her. Like, at all. That's because of you"

Rick pursed his lips together tightly and swallowed a scathing rebuttal, "...You know what? I'll take that too. We have been spending a lot of time together for a while now and maybe it was a little selfish of me to encourage that¬"

"A little?"

He found himself sighing again, "...Look, how about we both keep our opinions to ourselves from now on for Michonne's sake. That's all."

"Whatever", Andrea appeared to be done with the conversation. She stared out the passenger window with her arms crossed firmly across her chest.

Neither of them said anything else to each other for the short remainder of their journey, and by the time they arrived at his home, Rick was ready for her stay to be over. They both trudged into the living area with sour faces, but Rick's expression quickly changed when he saw Michonne. He finally understood the meaning of deja vu: His girlfriend was just as he found her before, sitting on the couch with Carl in her lap. His son was still fast asleep.

He opened his mouth to say something but Michonne hurried to explain what happened in a whisper, "He woke up upset, I think he had a bad dream or something, so I had to get him back to sleep"

Rick snapped his mouth shut. A rebuttal would be pointless. He'd have to save his strength for prying his son out of her arms.

"...So you couldn't get the power on?", She asked innocently as she looked back and forth at Rick and Andrea.

"He tried. He really tried.", Andrea replied in her taunting tone as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder, "But it didn't work."

Rick ignored her and peered at his sleeping son curiously, "...I think you can put him back in his bed now"

Unsurprisingly, Michonne appeared genuinely offended at the suggestion, "I just got him to sleep a while ago. Let him get into a deep sleep first, then I'll move him"

He held up his hands in surrender, "Alright. My mistake"

"So…", Andrea huffed, "Where's the bathroom? Kitchen?"

Rick side eyed her, "Kitchen's down the hall and there's a bathroom down here and upstairs."

"Great. And does this couch pull out to a bed or¬"

"No."

"I should have known", She muttered as she dropped her bag on the floor, leading Michonne to shoot a mean look in her direction as she covered Carl's exposed ear with the palm of her hand. Andrea mimicked Rick's earlier actions and threw her hands up as she hissed, "Sorry!"

Michonne sighed as she held Carl a little closer to her, "You both need to be quiet until he's back in his room"

Rick frowned at her, "Michonne, he won't wake up because of¬"

"He needs peace and quiet!", She whispered harshly as she covered his ear again, "Now go away; _both_ of you!"

Andrea raised her eyebrows as she scooped up her bag up from the ground, "I'll guess I'll just go and find that bathroom…"

Rick hadn't stopped frowning at his girlfriend, "Michonne?"

"Go and do something", She instructed as she carefully snuggled back in her seat, "Good _bye_."

And with that, he was dismissed. He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't have been kicked out of his own living area if Andrea wasn't there. In fact, the downfall of his night alone with Michonne was solely because of Andrea. He really did wish that he fought harder a little for her to ignore that initial call from her best friend, or if he fought a little harder to find the buildings main circuit.

But he couldn't sulk. Andrea was making herself comfortable in his home and there was nothing he could do about it.

Michonne finally put Carl back in his own bed later that evening, and set up a makeshift bed for Andrea on the couch after they stayed up talking for a while. Rick retired to his own room after having a shower and keeping out of her way.

"I'd really like it if the two of you could get along. I actually think that the two of you are pretty alike"

Rick sat back against the headboard on his bed and watched Michonne apply a vanilla scented lotion to her legs, "You think that me and Andrea are alike?"

"Yeah", Michonne insisted as she scooted back on the bed, "You're both funny, loyal… clingy…"

Rick blinked at her, "Thanks."

She bit her lips together as she smiled, "It's true. You just have to make the effort to get to know each other. I don't want my two-second favorite people in the world to not get along¬"

"Two-second favorite people in the world?", A crooked smile appeared on Rick's face, "I bet I can guess who the first is?"

"You probably could", She snickered as she adjusted the towel around her bosom, "It's a close second though… But Carl is the clear winner"

"I'm not mad or surprised to hear that", Rick absolutely loved the way that she talked about his son, and he loved watching them together even more, but he had to turn the conversation back to the previous topic because he had a few questions that he'd like answering, "...She said somethan' strange earlier; that she's gonna' be there at Thanksgiving and Christmas… What did she mean by that?"

Michonne paused for a short while, "Oh…Well, when I was reassuring her that it doesn't matter what happens in the future between you and I because she and I will always be friends¬"

"Oh", Rick snapped his eyes shut when he finally caught on to what the fiery blonde was talking about, "That's what she meant"

"Yeah…", Michonne cringed, "I wouldn't want to leave her out, Rick. And we always spend the holidays together"

He wished he hadn't asked in the first place, "...Well, maybe she'll meet someone and settle down... start her own family..."

She shrugged, "Maybe..."

He sighed deeply. He could tell his comment made no difference, "I guess the only positive thang I can take from that is that you see a future for us"

She perked up, "I do"

Her admission warmed him, "That makes it all worth it… to some extent"

"She's like a sister to me, Rick", She explained cheerfully as she crossed her legs and started to apply lotion on her feet, "We lived on the same street when we were kids. Her mom was always busy working so she spent a lot of time with us"

"She said somethan' like that earlier", He kept his eyes on her legs, "Sixteen years?"

"Yep, sixteen years. We went to school together, we came home together… She slept over a lot¬ She even spent weekends away with us…"

Rick crossed his arms over his chest, "What did her mom do?"

Michonne took the moisturizer bottle in her hands and poured a generous amount into her palm, "...I guess you could say that she was a professional party girl."

His eyebrows crept up into his forehead as he repeated what she said, "A professional party girl?"

"Yeah", Michonne crossed on leg over the other, "She worked at bars and clubs… Slept all day, partied all night. She was _nice_ and all, but… she was all over the place. Her priorities were in the wrong order. My parents couldn't stand her for that."

"...And what about her dad?", Rick probed.

"He wasn't in the picture", Michonne didn't look up. Just kept her eyes on her legs as she massaged her calves, "He was never in the picture"

Rick could sense there was a lot more to the story than she wanted him to know, so he carefully asked her, "...Was she neglected?"

"She was.", Michonne answered without missing a beat. She grabbed the oversized t-shirt that she'd laid out earlier, "...You know I was thinking about getting Carl one of those little scooters? I've seen a few kids on them in town…"

Of course Rick would have been interested to know more but she made it clear that they were done talking about it. He hadn't ever seen her abandon a topic so quickly before. He scratched the stubble on his face as he let his gaze follow her movements, "...I think he's still too small for that…"

"What about a bike?", She reached for a pair of polka dot shorts, "I haven't seen one out back?"

"He has a Big Wheel at his grandparents house"

"Well let's just go look around for one anyway", She peered at him from over her shoulder and shrugged, "Then we can take him to the park, and stuff like that…"

He gave her a small smile, "Alright. If that's what you want."

"I do."

He realised she was about to put her shorts on, so he made a quiet command, "Leave those off and come 'ere"

Michonne looked back at him from over her shoulder with bright eyes. It was becoming increasingly clear to Rick that Michonne always responded immediately to his authoritative side. Before she threw up that night in the bar, he noticed the way her big brown eyes sparkled with excitement when she saw him in his uniform. She was attracted to dominance.

She dropped the shorts on the floor and slowly crawled over to him, "Okay"

It seemed that his evening wouldn't end horribly at all, even after Andrea's interruption. He was still able to have his time alone with Michonne and that was the most important thing.

He held the back of her neck when she leaned in and kissed him. It was a sloppy kiss, and he knew exactly what kind of session they were going to have that night. She stayed on her hands and knees as she reached into his sweatpants and found his growing member. She started to stroke him and he groaned; he liked receiving special attention just as much as he gave it to her. When she stopped kissing him and lowered her head to his lap, his balls began to tingle.

The way she took him into her mouth was mesmerizing. She always made every move with a purpose and he knew that she knew exactly what she was doing; she paid attention to his tip first, licking and sucking it like it was an ice-cream cone, then she covered half of him with her warm mouth. Rick inhaled sharply and ran his hand up her back until he had a greedy handful of her ass in his hand. He realized that he had access to her delicate area from the position, so started to run his fingers up and down her damp lips.

She moaned with his member still in her mouth and the sensation made his eyes roll shut. Her hand wrapped around his base and she started pumping and sucking him at the same time. He watched her from beneath hooded lids. The airs on his arms stood tall and his skin grew hot. He slipped two fingers into her entrance and she moaned some more. His horny gaze shot over to her ass; raised high in the air and ready to play.

"I want you to stay like that", He said roughly when she pulled her lips off his tip.

If Rick was being truthful with himself, he wasn't that adventurous in the bedroom in his last relationship. It was a standard, simple procedure with Lori; affectionate, but not adventurous. Passionate, but still, not adventurous. With Michonne on the other hand, they had options. Sometimes they were slow and passionate; his lips wouldn't leave hers and they'd declare 'I love you's from start to finish. Other times, it was like something out of an x-rated movie.

"Ah, fuck!", Michonne gasped when he drove inside her from behind. She was face down in the sheets, grabbing at the material and squirming from his actions.

Rick had a firm grip on her hips, keeping her still while he thrust in and out of her at a nice, even pace, "God, you feel amazing"

She coated every inch of him so much that he could hear every move he made. He gripped her tighter and thrust harder, and she thanked him with a desperate cry, "Ah¬Yes!"

She was at her most vocal in this position, and he encouraged it, "You like that?"

"I fucking love it!", She clawed at the sheets, "Fuck this pussy, Rick!"

Rick's swollen member throbbed as if it were ready to release, so he pulled out of her and said in a strained voice, "Alright, time out"

"Wait¬What? Why?", Michonne asked breathlessly as she sat up on her forearms, "What's wrong?"

Rick sat back on his heels, "I'm gonna' need you to save all of that for when we're wrapping thangs up, Michonne"

She got up and turned around to face him, "Save all what?"

"What you were...", He waved his hand back and forth, "What you were saying… _that_ stuff"

She was dumbfounded by his request, "Seriously? Why?"

"Because I'm a weak man, Michonne", He admitted shamelessly, " _That_ almost put an end to _this_ "

The corners of her mouth curled up, "Really?"

"It's not funny", He gave her a dull look.

"It is very funny", She positioned herself in front of him again, "Fine, I'll hold back"

"Thank you."

His night ended even better than he expected. Twice.

They fell asleep curled up together. Her hair was in his face but he never cared; he loved the way she smelled. He wanted to stay that way with her for as long as he could. He was so happy with her that he still couldn't believe his luck. He couldn't even see another woman beyond her, and he didn't want to. She was his.

The next morning began like any other; Carl woke up and called for Michonne, and they both forgot about Rick's existence once they found each other. He couldn't complain, as he was used to it, but what he wasn't used to was Andrea being in his home.

She was propped up on his kitchen counter when he walked in the room, taking small sips from a cup while Michonne cut up Carls pancakes for him at the breakfast table. Andre's personality type lead him to think that she was a grouch in the mornings, but oddly enough, she seemed to be in a good mood.

His son cheered when he saw him, "Look! Thas' my daddy!"

"Oh, I can see him", Andrea smirked from behind her cup.

"Morning, son", Rick ran his fingers through Carl's hair when he was close enough, "Whatcha' got there? Pancakes?"

"Yeah", Carl nodded enthusiastically, "Michie made them"

Rick's raised his eyebrows, "Michie? Did I hear that right?"

"You haven't heard him call me that before?", Michonne stood up straight once she finished preparing his breakfast for him, "I noticed that he's had a little problem saying my name…"

Rick peered down at his son, "He can say it? I mean… It sounds like he's saying your name"

"He struggles", She deadpanned, "And besides, he likes it when I call him my little Carly"

" _Carly_ and _Michie_?", A devilish grin appeared on his face, "Cute names… For cats."

"Somebody's jealous", Andrea muttered from the other side of the room.

Rick glanced at her as his grin vanished, "Good morning, Andrea"

She raised her cup at him as she smirked again, "Your coffee's weak"

"So is my patience", He mumbled under his breath as he went to the other side of the kitchen, "Will you be needing a ride back to your place?"

"Oh yeah", Michonne piped up as she started for the fridge, "What are we going to do about the power? We need to call the super and let him know"

Andrea scoffed, ignoring Rick's question and answering to Michonne instead, "You can call him. He likes you."

"He's not that bad. Remember he came by to apologise¬"

"To you, even though he got into an argument with me", Andrea sounded annoyed, and knowing that he was the reason that the superintendent apologized to Michonne for his argument with Andrea, It was Rick's turn to smirk. She didn't notice him taking joy out of her misfortune and continued talking, "And did I tell you that your mom called last night? She said she was making us dresses¬"

"I know, she called me, too", Michonne sighed as she returned to the table after getting Carl a cup of orange juice, "I tried to tell her not to, but once she gets something in her mind¬"

"You have a mommy?", Carl's head was all the way back so he could look up at Michonne properly, "Where is she?"

Rick stopped putting sugar in his cup so he could focus on their exchange.

"...She lives in the city, with my dad", Michonne answered gently. Rick could tell from her tone that she was nervous.

"I have a daddy", Carl said proudly, "He's over there"

"I know. You have a very special daddy"

"I don' have a mommy", Carl said with the same amount of conviction. Rick peaked at his son from over his shoulder, and he was pleased to see that he didn't seem to speak out of sadness, it was more of a matter of fact to him, but it was still uneasy to hear.

"Hey, I don't have a mommy, too", Andrea added as she gave Carl a small smile, "Can we be friends?"

"Uh-huh", Carl tried to nod his head and guide his fork into his mouth at the same time, all while looking back at Andrea, "Okay"

"Great", She beamed, "I'd like that a lot"

Rick turned away from them before anyone could see how much attention he was paying to their conversation. Carl was so young when Lori left that he expected his son to get over the absence quite quickly, and the sad truth was that he did, but he hadn't taken into consideration how he would handle that loss as he got older. It wasn't the first time his son had mentioned his mother, and he didn't think it would be the last time either, but thankfully this time was handled well by Michonne and even Andrea. He was grateful for that.

"I'll make some more pancakes", Michonne walked back to the stove and fanned her teary eyes with her hands, "We need more pancakes."

He placed his hand on her hip as he walked around her to get to the pot of coffee. She responded with a sad little smile, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. He looked over at Andrea and said to her quietly, "Thank you"

She looked back at him with a dull expression and replied dryly, "You're welcome… Old man".


End file.
